Echoes
by VioletK
Summary: No child wants to be left alone in the dark,but in V's case,what she wanted wasn't rn between the lives of a UNIT double agent and a Torchwood alien hunter,she tries to find the answers to the questions that plague her whole life,and most important of all,V Who?But when she meets the man who may be able to answer those questions,will all become clear? Ten/OC Adventure
1. Another Day Hiding

**A/N: Hello, hello! I decided a few months back to have a go at a Doctor Who fanfic with my OC, V (for now). The cover of the story is a creation by malallory from tumblr, and it is V's true name translated in Gallifreyan, which we won't find out until later in the series. Right now it is cropped at the sides, but I'm working on that. Also, you can find V's outfits for this series on my Polyvore account, if you'd like to see for yourselves.**

**So, without further ado, enjoy! **

The tiny alien tried in vain to get free from his captor, but it was no use. The huntsmen pulled him out of the car and in front of their boss, a tall woman in a long grey coat and a fedora hat.

''Well, well'', she said, smiling. ''What do we have here?'' She pulled the shack from the alien's head to reveal a pink face with yellow eyes filled with terror and three antenna-like things sprouting from his head.

''He's a new species, me lady'', one of them said. ''We haven't seen him before.''

The woman turned her attention to the captors. ''That won't be a problem. My contact can sort this out. You're the Northern Ireland team, I suppose?''

''Yes, ma'am. Appointed by Torchwood One to you before the incident in Canary Wharf. Not even the Cardiff team knows we're here'', he replied. ''This famous contact of yours, who is he?''

The woman smiled. ''Oh, you'll have to wait and see.''

''What is he? Moving encyclopedia? They say he can identify an alien from ten feet'', he went on until he was interrupted by footsteps echoing on the fire escape a few feet away.

''Well, _she_ is really offended when someone thinks she is a guy!'', a female voce called and a figure climbing down the fire escape appeared seemingly out of nowhere. ''Like only men can be smart. How misogynistic of you!''

The huntsmen blinked and looked at the older woman. ''Your contact is a… girl?''. The figure stepped into the light, revealing a girl much younger than her boss in high heels, a black coat that reached her knees and a matching fedora hat. Her hair was tucked underneath the hat and her lips were painted a dark red. Her eyes were concealed by the hat's shadow. She made her way towards the group, locking her gaze on the terrified alien.

''Oh, a graske! First time I see one, always exciting to see someone new. And yes, Mr. Clark, I am a girl. Who did you expect, a UNIT official with exceptional knowledge on alien life?'', she said, a crooked smile appearing on her face.

The man dropped the alien's hand. ''How do you know my name? I haven't even introduced myself to Mrs. Herley!'', he exclaimed.

''Oh, don't mind my assistant, she does that all the time'', Mrs. Herley waved him off and focused her attention on the graske. ''So you, alien scum. Do you have any devices with you?''

The girl came next to her and stared intently at the alien.

''No'', the graske answered firmly, voice never trembling.

Her concealed eyes never left the alien's. She kept staring at him for a few more seconds before speaking.

''Back pocket, one comm.'', she announced. Her boss, without warning, took a gun out of her pocket and shot the graske straight through the head. The tiny alien fell on the concrete street with its eyes open. The girl flinched just a little, but Mrs. Herley didn't notice. Her men searched the body and removed a small black device from where the girl had said. The newbies stared at her in disbelief, but she just smiled kindly at them.

''Another job nicely done, V. Really, if Ms. Hartman was alive she would have promoted you'', Mrs. Herley said admirably to the young girl.

''And remove me from your team, Mrs. Herley? Fat chance'', she replied. She had placed her hands in her pockets due to the chilly night.

Mrs. Herley just smiled and nodded before making to walk away.

''Oh, and Mrs. Herley?'', V stopped her before she could leave. She stayed in place, waiting for the young girl to say what she had to say. ''You didn't have to kill the alien. Not just because it was unnecessary, but because your supplies are running thin. Now that there's no one to supply you with bullets and guns you should really watch how you use your remaining ammunition.''

''Is that why you haven't used your pistol yet, V?'', Mrs. Herley asked her, raising an eyebrow. Truth is, the girl was carrying a yet unused gun and two clips with her at all times, given to her by Mrs. Herley on her first day on the job, which was when she was seven. Or she's been told she was seven.

''I have never found myself in a situation where it was required. When I find it necessary to use it, I'll use it'', she assured her boss.

Mrs. Herley just stared at her before repositioning her fedora and giving her acquaintance a small smile. ''Well then, let's call it a night. I'll send someone for you when I need you.'' And with that she walked away, leaving the girl alone in the alley.

V quickly took off her heels and climbed up the fire escape, making her way upwards and running inside the building she had come from. Before long she had appeared on the doorway and had taken off in the dark again, barely noticeable in the night. After a while walking she came across a portable toilet and rushed inside, emerging from it minutes later in completely different attire, a duffel bag slang across her shoulder. Now she was in a short red skirt with a small tail of fabric swaying behind her in the breeze and a dark blue top underneath a dark blue loose cardigan and her black coat with dark blue high-tops, blue knit gloves poking out of the sleeves. A dark blue beanie hat stood on her head and her hair fell long and straight past her shoulders, so dark that they seemed to be an extension of her shadow. And her eyes… They were a dark blue, darker than any blue she had ever seen.

She started walking again, buttoning up her coat as she went. She passed many streets and turned many corners until she reached her seeming destination: a phone booth. It was her routine every night after a mission with the Torchwood team. She entered it silently and dialed the now familiar number, waiting for a reply.

''_This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Please select one of the following four options: If you want...''_. She impatiently hit the zero button repeatedly on the phone face, crossing her arms over her chest. The voice that replied now didn't belong to a recording. ''_UNIT Helpline, which department would you like?_''

''This is V, codename: Nebula. I'd like to report an incident.''

She started counting the seconds she had left to talk the moment the woman that replied dropped the phone on the other line. ''_Nebula, report_.''

''The scavengers have stripped another alien life form from any devices it carried. The alien was a Graske, current status deceased. The device that was taken was a comm., subject killed before I could find anything else'', V quickly said.

''_Keep her talking, don't let her hang up_'', someone called in the background and she smiled. The woman came back again. ''_What else did you find?_''

''The Northern Ireland team had been assigned to this one about a year ago. Nothing more to report'', and just like that she hang up, sixty seconds almost up. She let her hand rest on the phone for a bit before picking it up again to type another number now.

A few seconds later a woman replied. ''_Hello?_''

''Tiger, it's V''.

''_V? Thank God, I thought they had found out and you were-_''

''Now there's a way to start a cheerful conversation. But it's nice to hear from you, too.'' She paused for a bit, thinking. ''Is the phone bugged, and be honest.''

''_It's not, why should it be?_''

''You know that UNIT's after me, and you haven't actually introduced yourself to me'', V pointed out.

''_Like I needed to. Well, I wouldn't blame them. You are a double agent with whom they have only talked over the phone and don't know how you even look like!_''

''That's my problem. If they wanted to see how I looked like they would have tried to track me by other means. By tapping phones they come across as cowards.''

''_How have you been doing? I heard that it's been a rough week_'', Tiger tried to change the topic then.

V took a deep breath. ''Good, trying to get by, you know, in the shop… Roger, same as ever. Anita and he fought again yesterday.''

''_Oh, poor dear''_.

''How's Gordon? Haven't heard from him in a very long while.''

''_Oh, you know, studying. Still trying to get a job at UNIT. Thinks he'll get in just by his credentials''_, she replied fondly.

''Well, _you_ could try that, they would hire you in the blink of an eye'', V commented, smiling to herself.

''_But I'm not like my son, and certainly not like my father. I could never get into UNIT_''.

''Just try it!'', she nudged her. ''Maybe then I would show my face to them.'' Before she could stop, a soft sob escaped her lips.

''_V, what's wrong?_'', the woman questioned from the other line.

The girl leaned against the wall of the telephone booth and let a single tear slide from the corner of her eye. ''I can't do this anymore! That was the fifth one in the past two weeks, the fifth! And I can't do anything but stand and watch as more of them get slaughtered!'' She paused for a moment to catch her breath and calm down before continuing. ''I'm tired, Tiger. It's like I have a huge weight on my shoulders and I can't seem to shift it.''

There was silence for a few moments before the reply came. ''_Come over to the house this weekend. Gordon will be so pleased to see you again. Just a little escape._''

The girl swallowed the lump in her throat. ''You know I can't, they would look for me. And if they find you…''. Her whole body shuddered at the thought. The Scavenger team knew that she had been living in the streets her whole life, but was currently residing in a restaurant, and her only associates were Roger and Anita Perks, a brother and sister duo that owned the restaurant and couldn't stop fighting all day. They didn't know that she had a contact in London that funded her and had been her link to UNIT ever since she was nine years old. And she couldn't bare thinking what would happen if they found out.

''_Just for two days, I promise! You need to get your mind straight, and Anita's hardly any help right now!_''

''I won't risk it'', she insisted. ''They keep a close eye on me now, ever since Torchwood One went down.'' She rubbed her forehead with her free hand. ''I really believe that it will get something stronger to get my mind straight. I think I need a doctor.''

''_V, listen to me-_''

''Goodnight'', V said and hung up before the woman could utter another word. Slowly she slid down the wall and buried her face in her hands. Ever since she was found in the streets when she was a baby she had been leading a quiet life, avoiding all sorts of orphanages. She could never ignore the whispers in her mind, the ones that told her what anything was. Sometimes it got he into trouble, sometimes it got her food. But one time was enough to mess up her life so badly…

She was seven back then, a little girl in the streets. She had just found herself at the wrong side of town and had stumbled upon the Scavengers for the first time. They had caught a big green alien and were kicking it ferociously, a tall woman pointing a gun straight at its head. When she had accidentally called it ''Mr. Slitheen'', betraying her position, they pulled her out and made her watch as they planted eight bullets in its body. She wasn't even shaken. She had seen far worse things in the streets than that. Back then, Mrs. Herley had found it easy to get V to help her every time she caught another alien, but after two years V had sought out help from anyone who could get her out. And she had found that extraordinary woman, the woman who took her in to her home and helped her understand that, maybe, it was no coincidence that she was working for Mrs. Herley and then V found her. She couldn't get her out, but she could get her into contact with UNIT, where she was greeted as one of their trusted allies as well as their most wanted.

She always thought that maybe, just maybe, if her parents had kept her, her life would be so different. She had never met them, she had never seen them, she didn't even know her own name. She asked people to call her V because she felt, deep down, that that letter had a relation to her name. But she was so young when they left her, maybe it was just some stupid game of her mind.

She finally mustered enough energy to pull herself up and exit the booth to walk two blocks east and find herself in front of a small cozy restaurant.

The restaurant, Perks' Shack, was empty at this hour, but all the lights were on as two people sat down on one of the tables. All seats were leather and had the classic red color of all restaurant seats and the tables were covered with checkered red tablecloths. A bar stood on the left side of the door and a small wooden platform was set up at the right corner, serving as a stage, with an old fashioned microphone on a stand waiting to be used. V stepped inside, a small smile lighting up her face. The couple was standing across from each other, a woman in her late twenties with auburn hair and hazel eyes and a man in his early thirties sharing her eyes, but with black hair. The table was laid with two plates and in the middle stood a tray with a half eaten shepherd's pie.

''You ate without me!'', V exclaimed and threw her coat, bag, beanie and gloves on the booth nearest to the door. The woman, Anita turned to look at her, while Roger, the man, focused on gulping down a rather big mouthful from his plate.

''Well, you said you were gonna be late, what else should we do?'', she asked the girl before standing up and heading behind the bar, from where she took another plate and placed it on the table.

''No, I said that I _might_ be late, which makes _you _guilty!''. She plopped down next to Roger and took the tray in her hands. ''Ah, I'm starving!''

''My good-for-nothing sister made this, I had no part in this whatsoever'', Roger rushed to say.

''If it was so bad, you wouldn't have eaten two whole plates!'', Anita replied, sitting down angrily next to V.

''Hey, calm down, both of you!'', V suddenly shouted and they both turned to look at her. ''No fighting at the table, and that's it''.

Roger looked at her for a moment before he sighed. ''Fine, but I'm not promising anything''.

V nodded, smiling. ''Good.''

V often felt guilty for not telling them about the double – well, _triple_ – life she led. Anita and Roger had no idea where she sneaked out to when she disappeared in the night, but they thought that she was seeing someone. When she was ten she had asked for a place to stay, offering any service she could. The siblings soon found out that the little girl had a remarkable singing voice and had ''hired'' her to sing every once in a while in the restaurant. Her employment had led to a sort of adoption, as the siblings offered her a place to stay and the three of them had grown close. Now, V sang for the customers whenever she didn't have a mission and the pair would give her accommodation and some money for her morning trips to the library.

Halfway through her meal, Anita made to clean the table. ''So, any news from that watchmaker?''

V's hand immediately flew to her neck, where a thick sliver chain was hanging from her neck, a big silver fob watch at the end of it. She was found with it when she was a baby and, in an attempt to keep it close to her, had bought a chain and placed the watch on it. She never took it off, and in the past year she had tried to find her parents through this. Her watch had strange circular markings on the cap above the face and she had thought that it was a unique design. But after 10 watchmakers in the Greater London area, she had come up with no information whatsoever.

''No, just like the rest of them, didn't have a clue'', V replied as she set down her fork. Suddenly her appetite had vanished. ''Anyone else you know of?''

''No, that was the last one'', Anita told her. She rested on the counter with her elbows. ''You know, maybe you've been looking at the wrong place. Maybe you shouldn't ask about the watch, but about the markings.''

''What about them?'', V asked, puzzled.

''Maybe they mean something, in another language.''

''What, an alien language?'', she raised an eyebrow.

''Maybe.'' Anita's eyes lit up. ''Maybe you're an alien'', she teased.

V stood up. ''Oh, I think I would know if I was an alien, Anita. But I look human, I think human, I sound human, so I _am _human.''

''Yes, but you have a gift no human has'', Anita insisted.

V rubbed her right black diamond stud earring in thought. ''Still, all other evidence point to human, so I don't think I'm an alien, like all those we saw on telly. Imagine me being part of the race who rode the Christmas star a month ago.''

Roger laughed. ''Or the one who was in the ship the Christmas before last'', he added through a mouthful of his food.

V snorted at that. ''Well, I'm certainly not _that_ one.''

''Let's face it, if V was an alien, she would be one of the nice ones'', Anita said seriously. The three of them broke into hysteric giggles.

V suddenly yawned and handed her plate to Anita. ''Gosh, I'm tired. I think I'll pop to my cupboard under the stairs for the night.''

''You go on, I'll wait till the ox finishes eating'', Anita told her, eyeing her brother.

''Oi!'', Roger protested from the table.

V raised a finger at them. ''No funny business while I'm sleeping! I need to rest for the performance tomorrow. So keep it down!''

Anita saluted her. ''Yes, ma'am!''

Her hand dropped. ''Good. Goodnight, sleep tight.''

''And don't let the bed bugs bite!'', the siblings said in unison. V cracked a smile before turning on her heel and walking towards the back, where a wooden staircase led to the small apartment above. Instead of climbing it, however, V entered the cupboard underneath it and shut the door behind her.

With her fingers she searched in the dark for the switch of her makeshift electrical network, the one she made to have lighting in her cabinet. Through borrowed books from the public library she had learned everything she knew on physics, chemistry, biology, history and everything else a normal kid her age knew, perhaps even more. As she had lived the majority of her life in the streets, she hadn't attended school and she drew her knowledge from books and her instincts. She had made this network by re-routing the cables in the wall and plugging them to her very own homemade circuit, more complicated and powerful than a simple one students made at school. Once she hit it, light bathed the room and she could see all of her possessions: a makeshift bed on the floor, a stack of textbooks borrowed from the library, a large carton box filled with novels-gifts from Tiger and another one next to it filled with all of her clothes. V immediately changed out of her clothes rather awkwardly and put on a black camisole over her underwear.

Anita had offered her many times to share her room with her in the apartment, but V had refused, saying that she wanted to remember where she came from. Once you lived in the streets it wasn't easy to adjust to a normal life, but V hardly lived a normal life. The cupboard was a constant reminder that her life hadn't headed for the best.

As she lay under the covers, she took off her necklace and stared at the watch. Slowly, she placed her thumb on the button that would open it. But she couldn't. She could never press the button and open the watch. It was like a force was locking her hand into place, not letting her muscles make the tiny move. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut and her mind retreated to the only place it found peace, her dreams, dreams of a burnt orange sky and a city enclosed in a huge dome.


	2. The Unknown Man and His Box

**A/N: So, here we go, chapter two! Don't get your hopes up, though-I find myself unable to update my stories daily, so consider this a rare treat, although, I might be able to do weekly updates now that summer's finally here! There is a slight quote from ''Midnight'' in this chapter, for those who can find it.**

**Once again, you can find V's outfits on my Polyvore account. Enjoy the new chapter! **

''So, I'm going to return the books to the library-''

''And read half of it while you're there…''

''Shut up, Anita. Then I'll take a walk and come back for lunch'', V finished, shouldering her grey backpack. That morning she was dressed in a red skirt with a white top and a grey cardigan with red high-tops. She had replaced her black coat for a short grey trench coat and was now putting on a pair of red gloves and a red beanie hat. Her diamond stud earrings were replaced for a pair of silver roses and her necklace was once again around her neck, fob watch hidden in her neckline. ''Let's hope that Roger wakes up before any customer comes here.''

Anita laughed. ''If he doesn't, I'll spill a bucket of water on his head – with ice.''

V sighed and pulled open the door. ''Just try not to destroy the whole restaurant in the ensuing fight. See you later!'' And with that she exited the restaurant.

The cold morning air filled her lungs and she pulled her coat closer to her body. Many people had left the comfort of their homes to go to work, and in the crowd she could see a few students who had decided to skip classes and take a walk in the city, around her age, thirteen or fourteen.

_Why would they do that? They don't know how many kids would die to be in their position…_

With a small smile she took off towards the direction of the library, where she found her only escape-apart from singing. Books had always calmed her down and, with the help of the librarian, she had taught herself to read. The rest of her knowledge came from all the textbooks the library had to offer.

As V turned a corner to take her favorite shortcut through the alleys, she came across a big blue police box.

She blinked a couple of times to make sure what she was seeing was real. She had read about these curious boxes that populated the streets of London in the 60s, but she would have never imagined that she would find one in her way. She was immediately intrigued by the curious object standing in the middle of the alley. She approached it cautiously and stretched a hand before her as if to stroke it, but once she touched it she pulled back. The box felt alive under her palm, it was _vibrating_ with life. Her fingers flew to her temples and she rubbed at them, sliding down the side of the box with her feet stretched before her.

Something was wrong. Something wasn't right. And with a start she realized what it was.

She couldn't identify the box.

All she knew about it wasn't coming from what she was seeing, but from what she had read. She wasn't discovering, she was _remembering_.

Suddenly the doors were thrown open and a man came out of it, a tall man with brown hair sticking almost on end in a long brown coat and a blue pinstriped suit with maroon high tops. At once V closed her eyes to block off the disturbing feeling that was overtaking her.

She couldn't identify the man.

''Oh, you do seem to love London, don't you?'', the man asked in thin air, and V got the impression he was talking to the box. ''Let's see what we've got this time-'' He was interrupted by a low groan that escaped V's lips and he turned to the side of the box to see. When he laid his eyes on her he frowned. ''What are you sitting there for?''

Her eyes snapped open, but she didn't turn to stare at him. ''Nothing, is that a problem?''

''No, not at all.'' He knelt down beside her to examine her face. ''Are you alright?''

''I'm quite fine, or I think I am'', she mumbled, more to herself than to him. She dropped her hands and turned her eyes on him. ''Who are you?'' The words sounded alien in her mouth, having never used them before. Through her gift she could identify anything and anyone, but this man was only giving her a migraine.

The man smiled. ''I'm the Doctor.''

V frowned. ''What, you go around calling yourself the Doctor?''

''Yes'', he smiled even wider. ''And what's your name?''

She turned her eyes to her knees. ''I don't know.''

She said it so quietly the Doctor thought he didn't hear well. ''You don't know?''

''No'', she replied.

''Oh, come on, everyone has a name!'

''Oh yeah?'' she snapped at him. ''Doctor Who?'', she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

The Doctor just stared at her.

V balled her hands to fists and stood up. She spread one hand forward. ''People call me V. Well, I tell them to call me V.''

A wide grin appeared on his face. ''So you do have a name!''

''If I knew what that was, I would be very happy'', she replied.

''Then why V?''

She just shrugged. ''Dunno. A funny feeling. It just sounds… _right_.''

The Doctor shook her hand, grinning. ''Then it's a pleasure to meet you, V.'' The moment their hands touched V's free hand flew to her temple. A terrible headache had suddenly overtaken her mind but it was gone in a heartbeat. And the Doctor didn't fail to notice. ''Something wrong?''

''It's nothing, just a small migraine''. The Doctor took out a small silver tube with a blue tip and passed it over her body, a blue light shining and a sharp noise filling the silence. V couldn't conceal the snort that overtook her.

The Doctor frowned. ''Why are you laughing?''

''Are you serious? You have seriously made a sonic screwdriver? Who has a sonic screwdriver?'', V replied at once. And then wish she hadn't.

The beeping stopped as the Doctor fixed her with a stern look. ''How do you know this is a sonic screwdriver?''

V swallowed. ''I just… know. Why do you care, anyway?''

''Because this technology will not appear on this planet for centuries to come and you just named a sonic screwdriver.'' He frowned again. ''Why can't you remember your name? Amnesia? Memory loss? Head trauma?''

''I told you I don't know my name'', she said in a small voice.

He scanned her head with the sonic once. ''Brain waves are at a high frequency, but other than that, you're completely fine! Why can't you remember your name?''

''I don't know my name!'', she shouted now in hopes that he would get it.

''But why don't… Oh''. The Doctor's gaze softened and he placed his hands on her arms. ''You really don't.''

V was near tears now, but she quickly kept them down. ''I was left in the street when I was a baby, not even an orphanage. There's no record of me anywhere, so no name for me. Just my life in the streets. '' She took a deep breath to compose herself. ''But that's me for you, the Nameless Know-it-all.''

''I'm sorry'', he whispered.

''Don't be, it's not your fault, after all''.

''How can you do that? You named a sonic screwdriver way out of its time and place, how?'', he asked, suddenly changing the topic.

V took a deep breath. ''I've always been able to do that, since I was a kid. I can look at something and tell exactly what it is, person, object, anything. But not you, nor your box.'' She frowned. ''What were you doing in a box, anyway?''

The Doctor's mouth took an O-shape. ''It's not a box, it's my ship!''

''Your ship?'', she asked and then paused. ''Are you an alien?''

''Well, you can say I am, yes'', he smiled with a manic grin. Immediately V escaped his loose grip and broke into a run. ''Oi, where are you going?''

V stopped and turned on the spot to look at him, now a few feet away. ''Stay away from me, please!''

The Doctor put his hands forward to calm her down. ''I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'm not that kind of alien. Don't be afraid, no need to protect yourself from me.''

''It's not myself I'm trying to protect. It's you''. Their eyes locked on for a moment. ''Stay away from me or you'll die. Get in your ship, go on, leave. Just stay away from me.''

''Why?''

''Just do it! If you affiliate yourself with me you will be in serious danger. Now go and don't come looking for me for any reason!'' Then V turned and left, leaving the Doctor in his confusion.

Without realizing it, she broke into a run. If the Torchwood Scavengers found out that she had found an alien and hadn't reported it-which she had no intention to do-God knows what they would do to her. It was her quest to help any alien that found its way to Earth to stay away from her team. They only thing she could think about now was that at least she had kept him away from them.

…

The smell of books hit her nose as soon as she entered the vast building. Inside, absolute silence prevailed, and the many tables were filled with people reading or doing research for papers. V walked up to the large desk near the entrance, where an old lady with glasses sat hunched over a large book.

''Good morning, Miss Adelaide'', she whispered to her and placed her backpack on the desk. ''How are you today?''

''Oh, I'm fine, my girl, thank you'', Miss Adelaide replied. She eyed V as she pulled out various physics textbooks out of her bag. ''Always on time'', she commented.

V smiled. ''I finished them yesterday afternoon, didn't need to keep them any longer. Besides, I think I've learnt them by heart by now.''

''Most certainly'', Miss Adelaide agreed. ''Will you stick around?''

''Maybe for an hour or two, I want to look up something'', V said, gathering up her stuff.

Suddenly a deafening noise like someone cannibalizing a piano filled the room. Many people looked up from their books to look around, trying to find the source of the noise. But then it was gone, as suddenly as it started.

''What the hell was that?'', the librarian asked, looking around the room.

V, on the other hand, had leaned against the desk, hands clutching her head in pain. There it was, the migraine again. The second that day. V hardly ever got sick, so the headaches were something completely new. It seemed that that day wasn't her day. Trying to escape, she took her bag and rushed down the aisles, turning in the Science Fiction section. There, she threw her bag on the floor and knelt down next to it, shutting her eyes and rocking back and forth.

This time the migraine took longer to pass than before. It just made a slow retreat, leaving an unwelcoming feeling behind, a feeling of dread. V opened her eyes and slowly stood up from her position. She couldn't help noticing the shaking of her legs. In fact, it was so evident that she had to support herself awkwardly on the shelf, knocking over a few books in the process. V, as quickly as she could, picked them up and made to put them in place… when she noticed the books from the aisle behind her own missing.

Completely forgetting the task at hand, she removed a few more books… and came face to face with a grinning Doctor.

V caught herself from yelping and put the books back into place before moving to the next aisle. And there he was, just as she had left him, his coat nearly sweeping the floor. ''I told you not to follow me!'', she hissed, walking briskly towards him.

His smile vanished. ''I didn't follow you, I did as you said, I left.''

She crossed her arms over her chest. ''For some reason I'm having a really hard time believing that.''

''Well, you should. I wanted to park the TARDIS somewhere else and it parked itself in here – sorry for the noise, by the way'', he said. The way he carried himself, all calm and confident, made V want to slap him.

''The what?''

''The TARDIS, that's my ship, stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. I swear, I wasn't following you or anything'', he tried to defend himself, but V ignored him when her head was overcome by another terrible migraine.

But he wasn't finished. He chose a book from the shelf next to him, one with a blank black cover. ''Which book's that?''

V stared at it for a moment. ''_Breakthroughs in Astronomy_.''

The Doctor flipped open the cover and stared at the title. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Eyeing V carefully, he took a photo from his pocket and gave it to her. It showed a big metal machine resembling a pepper pot with a blue eyestalk. ''And this?''

''A Dalek'', she replied immediately, only for her migraine to become even worse. ''Tell me, do people always get migraines when they're talking to you?'', she asked him quite seriously, hand flying to her forehead.

The Doctor actually looked puzzled. ''No, no one's mentioned it before, they usually have guns pointed at me.'' His gaze shifted from the ceiling to her. ''Why, do you have one?''

V sighed heavily and dropped her hand. ''For the last time, don't associate yourself with me, because it won't end well.''

''But you still haven't told me why am I in such grave danger!'', he exclaimed, followed by angry readers shushing him.

''Because of _them_'', was all V told him before turning around again and walking away, throwing her bag on one of the reading tables on the other side of the room. The more distance she put between herself and him, the better. She turned around just once to look at him as he retreated to a back room.

Why was he following her? Hadn't she made herself plain enough? She wouldn't stand it if someone else died because of her. Especially someone who looked so human…

She ran towards that small room when that same sound filled the silence once again. It vanished before she could open the door and find the room empty, no sign of anyone walking in it. Puzzled, she closed the door and walked away.

When she-at last-reached the restaurant at noon, she barricaded herself inside her cupboard and didn't speak to anyone, not even Anita. Her migraines had left her alone, but the feeling of dread couldn't be shaken off. In there, in the company of her favorite novel, _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_, her mind shut down completely and only one thought remained.

_Doctor Who?_

…

Her dark hair hung in loose waves on her back. She had chosen a dark blue A - line dress that reached her knees and matched her eyes in color and black high-heels with two straps securing them to her feet. Her ears were adorned by a pair of beaded chandelier earrings. She was just checking herself in the mirror for her performance in a few minutes, one of the things she enjoyed doing in her life. When singing, she found herself in her own little world, and all her troubles seemed to fade away.

Someone blew into the microphone before Anita's voice boomed from the speakers. ''Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon'', she greeted the customers who broke down into laughter, ''tonight, I have the honor to present one of the most remarkable singers of our time, a girl who can bewitch you with her remarkable voice and who can make you forget your problems just by singing. Let's all greet, the girl with no ordinary name, as she is no ordinary girl, Nebula!''

V smiled at her stage name as the crowd applauded and she exited the bathroom, making her way across the room and to the wooden platform. Roger had set up a spotlight ever since V started singing in the restaurant, which was now trained on her. She took a deep breath and then stared at a point in the distance as music drifted in the room.

_Sometimes I wonder where I've been,  
Who I am, do I fit in,  
Make believing is hard alone,  
Out here on my own. _

_We're always wondering who we are,  
Always reaching for that rising star,  
To guide me far and shine me home,  
Out here on my own._

_When I'm down and feeling blue,  
I close my eyes so I can be with you.  
Oh baby, be strong for me,  
Baby, belong to me,  
Help me through, help me need you._

She dropped her gaze to the customers and scanned them. There were a few familiar faces, but most of them were complete strangers. She liked that lot best, the ones who didn't have a clue who she was. But tonight she got a lot more than she bargained for.

On a small corner table by the door sat a man, whose hair stood on end and whose eyes seemed to be staring into V's very soul. It took all her willpower not to groan at the sight of the Doctor sitting with his head leaning on his hand and watching her with interest from the crowd and continue with her performance.

_Until the morning sun appears,  
Making light of all my fears,  
I dry the tears I've never shown,  
Out here on my own._

_But when I'm down and feeling blue,  
I close my eyes so I can be with you.  
Oh baby, be strong for me,  
Baby, belong to me,  
Help me through, help me need you._

_Sometime I wonder where I've been,  
Who I am, do I fit in,  
I may not win but I can't be thrown  
Out here on my own  
Out here on my own.  
_

Everyone clapped and V bowed at the crowd with a fond smile on her lips. Her eyes, however, were fixed on the Doctor, who continued smiling, impressed. She quickly climbed down from the platform and went to sit right opposite from him as Anita put a record to play in the background.

''If you tell me that you found me by coincidence again, I'll slap you'', she threatened in a low voice so that no one could hear.

The Doctor dropped his hands on the table. ''Okay, this time I kind of followed you.''

V threw her hands in the air in exasperation. ''What do you want from me? Why can't you just leave me alone?''

''Because, V, or Nebula, or however else you call yourself'', he started, his eyes staring directly into V's, ''you have a gift no human has.''

''Yes'', she agreed, ''I do. It's kinda been there my whole life.''

''Yes, but why? Why can you do that? I haven't seen any other human do that, so it must be alien in origin-''

''Which reminds me-get out!'', she hissed, pointing towards the door. ''The more time you spend with me, the worse it is for you!''

''Yes, the imminent threat on my life'', the Doctor waved her off, ''but you haven't exactly told me who 'them' are. And the mystery that surrounds you; that's worth looking into!''

V raised an eyebrow. ''You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?''

And there was the manic green again. ''Yeah.''

V sighed and stood up, but the Doctor took her hand to hold her back. When she turned to look at him, his brown ancient eyes locked her into place and she found herself unable to move. ''Listen to me'', he said almost pleadingly, ''I'm no ordinary alien, I can help. I'm not called the Doctor for no reason.''

V swallowed hard. ''How?''

The Doctor wetted his lips with his tongue, trying to find the right words. ''You said you didn't have parents, but what if we can use your gift to find them?''

That caught V's attention. Could he? Could this man, this _alien_, help her discover the truth about herself? ''Can we learn my name?'', she asked in a trembling whisper.

''Only one way to find out.''

They stood in silence for a full minute, just staring in each other's eyes. Then, V pulled the chair next to him and sat down, crossing her hands on the table. ''What do you want to know?''


	3. More Than She Bargained For

**A/N: Welcome to another chapter of **_**Echoes**_**! This chapter might not be as exciting as the previous ones, but it gets good at the end, trust me. And I might have thrown a bit of **_**Sherlock**_** in there, just for the hell of it, seeing that I have been obsessing over this show lately!**

**Once again, V's outfits can be found in my Polyvore account.**

**Read on, and reviews are much appreciated!**

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but V raised a hand to stop him. ''No, wait, we'll do this the other way around. You're gonna tell me about _you _first'', V suggested, resting her back on the chair and crossing her hands over her chest.

The Doctor gave her a blank look, but nonetheless complied. ''Well, I'm 902 years old, for starters.''

V's eyes widened. ''You don't look like it. But I wasn't asking for that kind of information. Let's start simple: what species are you?''

''Can't you _see_ what I am?''

''That's why I'm asking. I told you; I can't identify you, nor your box'', V explained just as Anita came to the table to take his order.

''Good evening, sir'', she greeted him. ''Would you like to order now or should I come back later?''

''Um, yes, yes. I saw that you make banana milkshakes, I'd like one of those'', the Doctor replied, smiling wide.

Anita eyed him carefully. ''But that's in the breakfast menu.''

''Just get him what he wants'', V whispered in her ear. ''And charge it on me.''

''What is he, then, one of your homeless network again?'', Anita whispered back.

''Does he look like one?''

Anita looked him over once. ''No.''

''Lovely, then, I'll have the usual, thanks'', V said and pushed Anita towards the bar again. She turned her attention on the Doctor again. ''Where were we? Oh yes, species!''

''Homeless network?'', the Doctor ignored her.

''They are my friends that don't have a home. They know more things than your typical intelligence service''. She suddenly realized what happened and shook her head. ''Don't try and change the subject! I asked you something!''

The Doctor clapped his hands once. ''Right! Well, I'm a Time Lord, although I don't think you've heard of my species.''

V thought about it for a bit. ''Not really, no one in my team has mentioned it.''

''What, from the Homeless Network?''

She shook her head. ''No, and the less you know, the better. But answer me this. Why do you look so human? No other alien I have come across looked human.'' She suddenly sat up straight. ''Are you a shape shifter?''

''No, that's how I look like!'', the Doctor exclaimed, a bit offended. ''And from my point of view, _you_ look Time Lord!''

V snickered. ''What, _I_ look Time Lord?''

''We came first'', he winked at her. ''Now, my turn.''

''No, you will answer my questions first!'', V protested.

''Oh, come on!'', the Doctor pouted like a small kid. ''It's only fair that you ask me a question and I ask you one in return!''

V stared at him for a few seconds before giving up and motioning for him to go on. He smiled wide at that and leaned closer. ''You said you had that power your whole life. When did you realize you had it?''

V sighed in thought. ''I dunno, it's always been there, ever since I can remember. I would just walk down the street and in my head I would see the names of everyone around me, including the names of what they held, or wore. I thought it was normal.''

''And when did you realize it wasn't normal?''

She actually had to think about it for a bit. ''It must have been… when I was six. I walked into a bakery and greeted the whole staff with their names. Their boss was so angry that he kicked me out. But after that it was-'' She had to catch herself before she confessed her first encounter with the Torchwood Scavengers. She swallowed hard. ''My turn.''

''V, I can't help you if you keep things from me. You need to tell me everything'', the Doctor said seriously.

''I'm not keeping things from you'', she replied. ''I'm just withholding the information that could harm you.''

''Because my life's in danger.''

''Yes!'', she exclaimed just as Anita came with their orders. She set the banana milkshake in front of the Doctor and a small crystal bowl with thick custard sprinkled with cinnamon in front of V, along with two glasses of water. V smiled at the sight of her favorite dessert and quickly took a mouthful with a spoon.

''Anything else I can get you?'', Anita asked the pair, propping her tray on her shoulder.

''No, Anita, thanks'', V replied and once again pushed her friend away, turning her attention on the Doctor again. ''So, _Time Lord_, what does your species do? _Time travel_?'', she joked.

''Actually'', the Doctor started, taking a sip of his milkshake, ''_yes_.''

V nearly choked on her custard. She took a sip of her water and turned her wide eyes on the Doctor. ''You're kidding.''

''No, really, I can time travel'', he assured her. ''My ship, it's a time machine, remember? _Time _And Relative Dimension In Space?'', he put emphasis on the word ''time''.

V thought her head started aching from the sudden flow of information. ''You are full of surprises!''

The Doctor chuckled slightly at that.

''No, but seriously? Time travel? You can _actually_ time travel! I mean, it's not even possible!'', V continued, unable to wrap her mind around the idea of time travel.

''For my people, it is. Well, was. Well, still _is_, for me…'' His face turned solemn all of a sudden and he avoided V's gaze by focusing on stirring his drink with the straw. But before V could ask him what was wrong he had stopped her. ''Next question: how's your head?''

V blinked at the sudden change of topic. ''Um, fine?'', she stammered, a bit unsure on how she should reply.

''Good, because you said you got migraines whenever you talked to me'', he commented.

She frowned. ''You're right! They're gone! Although I got a slight headache when you said you could time travel, but that was from the shock.''

The Doctor slowly nodded. ''Yeah… Must have been…'', he trailed off, taking another sip from his milkshake. ''Any other questions?''

V swallowed a spoonful of custard before speaking. ''How did you get your ship in the library? Even more, why is it made of wood? No, sorry, actually, why does it look like a 1960s police telephone box?''

He had, by now, drank half of his drink. ''Which one do I answer?''

''Take your pick.''

''My ship isn't like your normal alien ship. It dematerializes here and rematerializes there, it doesn't fly me anywhere. Although I _did_ fly her recently, couldn't use her for an hour afterwards.'' He made a point of making various movements with his hands to explain.

''And why did you fly her?''

''I had to save a bride from a crazy Santa robot.''

V chose to ignore the last remark, instead focusing on finishing her custard. ''Your turn.''

The sound of air being sucked in a straw filled the air and the Doctor pulled away from the table to rest on the back of his chair. ''Have you considered talking to someone about your abilities?''

''I'm doing it now, aren't I?''

''You're not answering the question.''

V sighed. ''Yes, I have. And I've already done that. I have talked to a woman I trust.''

The Doctor motioned towards Anita, who was polishing glasses behind the bar.

She quickly shook her head. ''No, not her, nor her brother. They don't know I can do what I can. When I came and asked for a job I was careful not to mention their names.''

He raised an eyebrow. ''So you're lying to them.''

''No, I'm not!'', she protested.

''Yes, you're just withholding the information that could harm them.'' For once, V didn't know how to reply as the Doctor stared at her with his ancient eyes, daring her to correct him. She wetted her lips, trying to find how to reply. ''So I'm not the only one who doesn't know a thing about you, am I?''

She tried her best to avoid his stone gaze. ''Next question'', she whispered. ''Um… Do you travel alone?''

Now it was the Doctor's turn to shift uncomfortably at her words. ''Yes, right now, yes. I had this friend, a while ago, Rose, her name was… She used to travel with me… But she's gone now… And then before that, some more friends…'' V could see that the subject was bothering him, and her suspicions were confirmed when he smiled at her and asked her his next question. ''Sorry, back to the topic. Did they find you with anything, when you were a baby? Something that could help us understand from what sort of background you came from?''

She was surprised to find herself hesitating to tell him about the fob watch. It was the only thing she could remember having ever since she was a kid. It was her only constant companion, something that didn't leave her side when times got rough. In a way, it was part of her soul, part of who she was. And she couldn't reveal her own soul to a stranger.

But this man was there to help her. So why shouldn't she?

Just as she was about to take the necklace out of her neckline and show it to the Doctor, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head to look out of the restaurant, her body froze at the sight, as it always did when one of the huntsmen appeared on her doorstep to ask her to come to the aid of Mrs. Herley.

''Stay here, don't follow me and don't look at me through the glass'', she mumbled to the Doctor. She stood up slowly and started walking towards the door, grabbing her grey coat from a coat rack on her way out. Once she found herself outside, she made sure to be the one with her eyes turned to the restaurant, effectively making the huntsman turn his back to the Doctor.

''V, charming as always'', he greeted him, and she recognized him as Ivan, one of the latest additions to the team.

''I didn't expect Mrs. Herley would require my services so soon'', she remarked.

''Believe me, neither did she'', he rushed to assure her. ''There's been a capture near Trafalgar Square and she sent me to inform you to come to the usual place at the usual time tomorrow evening.''

''Do we know the species?''

Ivan chuckled. ''If we did, we wouldn't have called _you_.''

''Right, of course'', V agreed half-heartedly. Then an idea came to her mind. ''Tell me, Ivan, does Mrs. Herley keep a record of the aliens we capture?''

Under his fedora she could see his right eyebrow lifting. ''Of course she does, why?''

''Have you seen those records?''

''Even if I did, why would you care?''

He was getting real suspicious now, so V had to be careful. ''Has there ever been an account of any humanoid aliens? And I don't mean they would look human with a little trimming, but aliens that actually look human.''

''Why are you asking?''

V shrugged. ''Just so that I am prepared. I might one day meet one in the street and not believe what I'm seeing.''

Ivan nodded thoughtfully and then leaned closer to her ear. ''If you really want to know, there's one very particular alien Torchwood's dying to get its hands on, _literally_. They say he was behind the incident at Canary Wharf, but it's all hush-hush.''

She tried to hide her dread by smiling. ''And who's that?''

''His name is the Doctor.'' That single whisper sent shivers down her spine. Ivan sat up straight again and tipped his hat at her. ''Until next time, V.'' And with that he walked away in the dark, coat swaying in the chilly night breeze.

Great, not only was she affiliating herself with an alien instead of reporting his appearance to her team, but said alien was also a _top priority target_. Lovely, now Mrs. Herley would surely kill her.

But she had a hard time believing that that man was a top priority target. How could he, an alien who could time travel and was obsessed with bananas and so keen to help _her_, would be responsible for the battle at Canary Wharf? To her, he seemed harmless enough. Not someone who could wipe out races and races of aliens in the blink of an eye. But his eyes… Those ancient eyes that stared at her right now through the glass held many secrets. They seemed to have seen so many dark times, and they held so much sorrow within…

V took a deep breath to steady herself and then entered the restaurant. The Doctor frowned once she came to stand next to him. ''Is something wrong?'', he asked.

''I risked it by keeping you here this long'', she explained. ''I believe you should go now.''

''V?'' His tone forced her to look at him. ''Who was that man? What did he tell you?''

''Someone who, if we're lucky, didn't pay you much attention.'' She took off her coat with a sigh. ''Look, I appreciate it that you want to help me with my _condition_, but it's dangerous for you to be close to me, here at least. So I'm asking you, no, I'm _begging _you, to leave.''

The Doctor didn't say a word. Instead, he stared at V for a full minute before finally standing up, taking his own coat in his hands and putting it on. ''You should know that whatever you are trying to hide, no matter how bad… Is not as bad as the things that I've done.'' And then he simple exited the restaurant, leaving V frozen on the spot by the coldness of his voice and terrified by the fire in his eyes.

…

The weather wasn't favoring V that day. Halfway to the library that morning, in her blue plaid skirt, the grey top, grey cardigan and light grey high-tops, a heavy downpour had started, and her grey coat with grey-and-black stripped fingerless gloves and beanie didn't help. Luckily for her, she had thought of taking an umbrella the colors of the rainbow with her and she had saved herself from being soaked from the waist up… but that didn't mean she wasn't soaked from the waist down.

What she wanted to do that day was risky and she knew it. But if that was the only way to find answers, then she would risk it.

She left her umbrella at the rack by the door and made her way to the central office, where Miss Adelaide was, once again, hunched over her large book.

''Good morning, my dear'', she greeted V once she saw her walking up the steps. ''Another studying session today?''

''I'd like something more than that today, Miss Adelaide'', V said and placed her backpack on the counter. ''Can I use the phone?''

The librarian blinked at the request. ''Um, sure, all you like! You can sit here, if you want, help mind the office. I'll pop some books back to their selves and then come back'', she replied, took a big stack of books and walked away. V studied her as she turned in one of the aisles before dashing behind the office and picking up the speaker and dialing the number she had in mind.

''_This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Please-_'', she hit the zero button to get to the helpline, patience already running thin. ''_UNIT Helpline, which department would you like?''_

''UNIT operative, codename: Nebula'', she said quickly to the man that replied. ''I'd like to request a file from the UNIT archive.''

A silent click, the tracker being activated, V knew, echoed in the background. ''_File name?_'', the man requested.

''I don't know if that file even exists!'', V exclaimed silently so not to disturb the readers. To keep her mind distracted, she pulled a notepad and a pencil close to her and started writing a small equation, her own way of revising what she had learned.

The man sighed from the other line. ''_Do you have any keywords that we could search up?_''

V thought about it for a bit. ''Well, try 'Time Lords'. It should redirect you to the 'Alien Encounters' or 'Alien Species' files'', she suggested.

A few keyboard clicks later, the surprised reply came. ''I can't go through; it's above my clearance level! Although, the search engine went as far as Personnel!''

''Personnel?!'', V asked, now surprised herself. ''You have _Time Lords_ filed in Personnel?!''

''_Are you searching for something in particular?_''

She contemplated whether she should reveal what she was looking for or not, but then she made up her mind.

_Personnel? What the hell?_

''Yes, a man called the Doctor, is there any file on him?''

The man typed away again, and a small alarm went off from the other line. ''_It keeps cutting me off, I can't tell you the files' contents!_''

V blinked. ''So the file exists!''

''_Yes, but I can't open it, it requires higher clearance than the one I have-_''

''Yeah, I asked to be _given_ the file, not be _read_ the file. I'm gonna give you an address where I want the file to be sent, and pass it on to your commander, he'll know what to do.'' She quickly gave him the address of the library. ''Now this is where the Llewellyn Public Library is, the operative who goes there will leave it at the front desk and tell the librarian that this is for V, I'll come here and pick it up later.'' She absentmindedly raised her head from her equation to look around the lobby, only to almost drop the speaker at the sight in front of her.

There, casually leaning against the desk, was the Doctor himself.

Just then a sudden bipping noise came from the other line. Turning her head to the clock next to her in shock, she realized that a full minute had passed since she started the call. The tracker had finally gotten her, after four years of searching. And that meant one thing.

UNIT was on its way to get her.

She quickly set down the speaker, terminating the call, and turned her guilty gaze on the Doctor.

''So'', he started, ''UNIT operative Nebula, huh?''


	4. Why Not Alexandra?

**A/N: Oh, my God, that took me ages to write, and it's the biggest chapter I've written yet! It's just a bit over 5,000 words, but I do believe it's worth it! I especially liked the scene in the park, I'm quite proud of it, actually!**

**All yours to read!**

V quickly got up from the chair she was sitting on and ran to the rack where she had left her umbrella, the Doctor following closely behind her. She lifted it up and shook it hard to get most of the water off it, splashing him in the process.

''Oi, what have I done now?'', he exclaimed, cowering away from the droplets of water.

She pointed the tip of her umbrella accusingly at him. She had never been more stressed in her life, and combined with the company of the Doctor, her whole body was screaming for her to abandon the building. ''Firstly, you have shown up. Secondly, you have completely overlooked my request, and _today_ of all days! And thirdly, because of you, UNIT's on its way here to _get me_! After four years of being so careful!''

The Doctor's eyebrows knit together. ''Why would they want to get you? You work for them!''

V shushed him by raising her hand. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a bit. ''UNIT headquarters, where are they?'', she asked him.

He blinked at the request. ''Tower of London?''

V's eyes shot open and she almost fainted. ''Tower of London?'', she demanded. ''_Tower of London?! _That's _five blocks_ from here!'' Unbeknownst to her, she had started pacing up and down in front of the Doctor, trying desperately to think. She would raise suspicion if she ran out of the building, as UNIT would catch her immediately, so that option was out. If she stayed there, she would again raise suspicion, being the only teenage girl in the library at the time, and they would take her in for questioning. So that option was out, too. UNIT would immediately sweep the building, so hiding wasn't an option, either.

''I can't leave'', she breathed. ''I'm trapped!''

''There's always a way out'', the Doctor mumbled from his position a few feet away, eyes never leaving V.

V just groaned at his words. Sighing, she grabbed her backpack from the counter and stood before the Doctor. ''Right then. I have to run now. Nice seeing you again, Doctor.'' But once she turned around the sound of screeching tires came to her ears and the backpack fell from her hands.

''Right then'', the Doctor said behind her. He came next to her and turned her around, back towards the library. He even picked up her backpack and helped her strap it to her back again. He then offered her his hand, which she numbly accepted. ''If you could follow me… Hey, V, snap out of it'', he snapped his fingers underneath her nose and she woke up from the spell that had fallen over her. ''Come on, allons-y!'' And with that he pulled her towards the direction of the huge bookcases that populated the library, just as a black van pulled up in front of the building.

V turned her head around once and nearly fell over. ''It's them, they're here!''

''Don't look behind you, come on'', he urged her on, pushing her forward before him. ''Through there''. She ran silently ahead of him in the Biographies section, occupying three corridors, and he followed suit behind her. But they both fell on the ground when they heard the door bursting open and the UNIT operatives rushing inside.

''We are with the Unified Intelligence Taskforce!'', they heard one shout. ''We request that you step away from the tables and bookcases and gather in the main lobby!'' The same message could be heard seconds later coming magnified to their ears through the speakers mounted on the walls.

''Scatter around and find her! She couldn't have gone that far!'', a second one commanded.

''So what are you, Nebula?'', the Doctor asked quietly. ''UNIT operative or UNIT's most wanted?''

''It's V'', she snapped at him. ''And do I look like I work for the military?'', she stared at him for a moment before continuing. ''I guess it's a bit of both. I supply them with information they need and in return they try to learn more about myself.''

He nodded. ''Right, so they don't know about you, either.''

V cast him a leer but didn't reply. She slowly stood up again and made her way to a side chamber, where she settled down in the Algebra Textbooks corridor. Soon afterwards, the Doctor joined her, plopping down next to her on the carpeted floor. ''And _you_ are still full of surprises'', he went on as if he wasn't interrupted. ''Tell me, how did you manage to solve this?'', he asked and showed her the notepad she had been scribbling previously. She had filled an entire page with her equation.

''You want to learn that _now_?'', she hissed at him and kept moving on, into the History Textbooks corridor three aisles down. But then she sighed. ''I was revising what I had studied from my physics textbook yesterday.''

The Doctor's eyes widened. ''You studied that _yesterday_?!'', he asked incredulously. ''How old are you?''

''Thirteen, fourteen, I'm not sure'', she replied. ''Not knowing my birthday and all, why?''

''V, that's nuclear physics.''

_That_ caught her attention, as she turned around sharply to look at him, dark hair fanning out around her. ''Seriously?''

''What, you didn't notice what you were writing?''

''No, I just thought it was easy and I started reading. The writing is my way of integrating what I've read in my mind'', she said.

''How many classes have you skipped at school?'', he asked her, now properly intrigued by the mysterious girl before him.

''I don't go to school, there's no record of me anywhere, how could I? Everything I learned came from this place'', she motioned around her proudly.

The Doctor smiled at her and went ahead, once again taking her hand and leading her further down in the depths of the library. ''But you are brilliant! A human, at fourteen years of age, solving nuclear physics equations like they are simple additions! No, really, you are amazing!''

The Doctor couldn't see V smirking at his praise. He was the first to learn she was gifted at mathematics and physics. She simply didn't discuss those things with Anita and Roger, who weren't interested, and whenever she talked on the phone with Tiger the matter simply didn't come up in the conversation. ''Thank you, Doctor. And what about you, huh? How did you know that was nuclear physics?''

''Oh, we're still playing the game, then! Marvelous!'', he exclaimed with delight. V hit him on the back with her umbrella and when he turned around to look she put a finger on her lips. He mouthed an ''OK'' in reply before continuing much quieter. ''Oh, that's just me. I'm really clever. Really, I would have called you a genius, but then I remembered that I was in the room.''

V kept herself from groaning. ''Apparently, apart from genius, you're also pretty rude.''

The Doctor frowned. ''Yeah, people keep mentioning that.'' But then he stopped walking abruptly. ''Here, we're here.'' With his left-and free-hand, he pointed towards the back room where he had hid the TARDIS the previous day.

Instead of focusing on that, however, V chose to focus on the completely unprotected space that separated them from the room. ''Are you crazy? The soldiers will open fire at us!''

The Doctor peaked through the book on the self. ''Okay, I've got a plan.''

''Good plan?'', she asked him thoughtfully.

''Dunno, I'm still thinking of it'', he replied quietly. Quickly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver key attached to a chain and handed it to her. ''I have the TARDIS parked in the back room. You will go to it and unlock the doors.''

''What, in the box?!'', she almost squealed. ''We don't both fit inside!''

''Oh, you'd be surprised'', he just replied, still looking from behind the books.

''And what will you do?''

He smiled his manic smile again, a smile that V had slowly grown to fear. ''This'', he replied and knocked over the books on the nearest self. V covered her mouth to prevent herself from crying out an imaginative bunch of swear words that would have made any sailor jealous.

Someone behind the bookcase loaded a gun. ''Who's back there?'', he asked. ''Show yourself!''

''_You are so dying after this!_'', V mimed with her hands as the Doctor put a finger on his lips. Taking a quick breath, he appeared from behind the book case, a wide grin on his face.

''Hello, sorry, but why have you brought a gun in the library?'', he asked innocently, hands in his pockets as he walked. V looked on from behind the books that concealed her.

''We said that all civilians are to gather at the main lobby'', the soldier said, gun pointed straight at the Doctor. ''Didn't you hear?''

''No, actually, I was reading a really good book back there, didn't want to leave the chapter half-finished'', he replied. V, out of curiosity, looked up to see in which section they were, and had a hard time keeping herself from doubling over from laughter afterwards.

''That's the Erotica section'', the soldier pointed out, eyeing the Doctor curiously. The Doctor, himself, looked at the little plate that read the name of the section and his eyes widened.

V saw that as her chance to move. She had only one more bookcase to go, and then she was in the open for everyone to see. With careful steps, she crossed the remaining space between her and the wall, all the while keeping an ear out for anything the Doctor might say.

''Well'', he was trying to cover up, ''it was a great book, nonetheless, interesting plot. Um, might I ask you what are you and your team doing here?''

''We're looking for one of our operatives.''

''What, with a strike team?''

''You would, too, if she was supplying you with crucial information about international security and you hadn't even seen her face'', the soldier explained.

The Doctor nodded, amazed. ''Sounds like one hell of a woman.''

_He wants to do this now?!_, V thought as she finally reached the back wall. Looking around cautiously, she saw five rows of desks for studying hiding the lower part of the wall, perfect for concealment. She crouched down and started crawling forward towards the door.

''It's not a woman, it's a girl'', the soldier corrected him. By now, the Doctor had started backing away towards the door himself, the soldier holding him with his gaze.

''A _girl_'', the Doctor feigned shock. ''The military accepts information concerning _international security_ from a _girl_. How did that happen?''

V was right next to the door now. Her only problem was that if she stood up, she would be spotted. But she couldn't reach the doorknob without standing up. She hit her head on the carpet once to get it working. It wasn't as if she could ask the Doctor!

''She had strong credentials. Now, if you could join the rest of the people in the building, please…''

''Right, yes'', the Doctor agreed and made to step away, but then he took several steps back again, closer to the room still. ''Oh, hold on, have you seen an umbrella?''

V's head snapped up.

''An umbrella, sir?'', the soldier asked him, puzzled.

''Yeah, small, colorful, _soaked wet_'', the Doctor explained. V looked down at her hands, where she still clutched her umbrella. Her hand had already started to wrinkle from the water. ''I'll need it if I'm to get out of here in that weather.''

_Oh, you're a genius_, she thought, a small smile appearing on her face. She extended her umbrella's handle to its full length and, careful not to alert the guard staring at the Doctor, reached out towards the door handle. When it touched it she made sure that the circular tip was over the handle and she slowly pulled down with the umbrella. The door handle followed the motion of the umbrella and came down silently. Soon enough, the door opened, a little too loud for V's liking.

And the soldier didn't fail to notice, as he raised his riffle towards the door. ''Who's there? Come out of there _now_!'', he commanded.

Quickly, and making sure she couldn't be seen, V used the umbrella to open the door a little wider, making it seem as if there was an open window in the room.

''I can go and check, if you want'', the Doctor suggested as V crawled through the opening. Once she was inside she rested her head on the wall and sighed in relief. Before her stood the blue phone box or, as the Doctor called it, the TARDIS. She had made it!

''No, you will join the civilians at the front!'', the soldier said, but the Doctor had already started backing away towards the open door.

''But the girl, if she is in there, won't suspect me, the _civilian_'', he said. ''She will come out if I tell her.''

V took the key and put it in the small keyhole at the front and turned it twice, opening the double doors and getting inside. She had taken one small step, expecting the interior to be tiny, but the Doctor hadn't prepared her for what lied within.

Her whole body froze at the sight of the vast console room that spread out before her eyes. The walls emitted a soft orange light and the ceiling seemed to be supported by coral-like pillars that circled the circular platform. At the center of the platform stood an immense green column, going all the way to the ceiling and ending at the console, which itself was emitting a weird green light. It was covered in various levers and buttons and at its side hung a series of hammers, which V had no idea why the Doctor needed them. Next to the console stood a three-seat chair on a spring, its protective fabric torn here and there. In the distance she could see a corridor that lead to the even bigger, V imagined, ship within. She had to grab the railing for support. And all that time she thought _she_ was weird.

Just then the Doctor ran past her and shut the doors behind him, followed by the soldiers' angry shouts for him to come back. He took off his coat and threw it at the closest Y-beam, running to the console and pressing any buttons that were within his reach. ''Right then, off we go!'' The column in the middle started going up and down and that whirring noise filled the room, along with V's ever growing headache from the feedback she was getting from the room.

The Doctor had just seemed to notice that she was still standing next to the doors. ''What are you standing there for?'', he asked her, genuinely puzzled.

V opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when she realized she didn't have any actual words to describe it. But she should have recognized the feeling of dread that had started building inside her the moment she stepped through the TARDIS's doors. Her hands went to clutch her head in pain as another migraine spread in her mind. Her knees gave in from underneath her and she suddenly found herself lying on her back on the metal ramp before the doors.

The Doctor was next to her in an instant. ''What is it, what's wrong?'', he asked in concern.

V moaned in pain. ''My head…'', she groaned, ''… it feels like it's going to explode!''

His hands reached into his pockets and he pulled out his stethoscope, whose tip he proceeded to put over V's chest. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline from the surprise. ''Your heart's racing, blimey!''

Tear had, by now, started to spill from her eyes. She had never felt such physical pain in her life. ''Please make it stop, make it stop!'', she nearly begged the Doctor. '' You're a doctor, do something!''

''Yeah, that's not my profession, the title Doctor is-is…'', the Doctor stammered as he ran around the console frantically, pressing buttons. ''Oh, never mind, let's leave it for later!'' Truth is he had gone to the console to distract himself from looking at her. Watching her whither in pain on the floor made both his hearts ache and he couldn't do anything about it without knowing what was wrong with her. He wasn't like that with his previous companions. At first his show-off-y self would make an appearance and he would try to impress the newest addition to the TARDIS crew, but with V… She was a mystery, a true enigma in Converse shoes and a skirt. His only instinct was to solve the puzzle, protecting her at all costs on the way. And he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before, that he knew her from somewhere…

Another terrible groan pulled him out of his thoughts. ''Shouldn't have brought you in the TARDIS like that, that's massive feedback you're getting there.''

''Make it stop…'', V whimpered again, turning on her side and burying her head in her knees as she curled up in a ball on the floor. ''I can't stand this, make it stop…''

With one last press of the button, the Doctor ran back to V and knelt down next to her. ''I've sent us in the Time Vortex; this'll give us time for me to examine you. Now, I need you to look at me, can you do that?'', he asked her, cupping her face in his hands.

V slowly nodded and turned her watery eyes on the Doctor. It was hard for him to just gulp and not slap himself for letting her inside before temporally ''pausing'' her ability, but he managed to place his forefingers on her temples and close his eyes to search her mind. His plan was simple: get inside, find her mind's center, deactivate the ability for as long as she was onboard and place her in a light sleep to recover.

But before he could even access her mind, she placed her own hands over his, snapping him out of his concentration. He stared down at her face, where her tears had left wet trails on her cheeks. ''It stopped'', she whispered to him. ''It just stopped, on its own.''

''Are you sure?'', he asked rather suspiciously. V nodded in reply. ''Can you stand?'' She placed either hand on his shoulders and he helped her stand on her feet by putting his own hands underneath her arms and pulling her up.

She took a deep breath while heavily supporting herself on him to compose herself. ''Can we go and talk somewhere else? Your place's kinda freaking me out now.''

The Doctor nodded in return and led her to the captain's chair to sit, while he dashed to the console and punched coordinates in the TARDIS. He had the perfect spot in mind, but only if he could get the landing right…

The TARDIS gave a sudden jolt and the Doctor grabbed onto the console to prevent himself from falling. V, herself, had hugged the back of the captain's chair as soon as the characteristic landing sound sounded. ''Blimey, that was a bumpy ride!''

He stood up and straightened his jacket a bit. ''So! I managed to land in the same date, surprisingly-''

''Why, do you usually miss the dates?'', V asked, suddenly afraid.

''Once I lost the place by a hundred years, BUT, this time I got it right.'' He motioned with his hand towards the door. V eyed him carefully and slowly set her feet on the ground to stand up. She lost her balance only once, but the console and the Doctor were there to support her, the latter keeping a hand around her waist to help her reach the doors. With a shaky hand she pushed them open and, taking a step forward, found herself stepping on soft grass.

The first thing she noticed was that it was sunny. ''Doctor?'', she called. ''It was raining when we left the library, wasn't it?''

''Yeah, that was me'', he explained. ''We were in the Time Vortex, so I took us four hours in the future.''

V's jaw dropped and she turned her head to look at him. ''Did I just time travel?''

The Doctor smiled and nodded. ''Yes, you did'', he agreed.

Her eyes remained on his face for a moment before she turned them away. ''Your _box_ is bigger on the inside, I wasn't going to mention it.'' At that the Doctor laughed lightly.

Her eyes wandered around the place he had brought her. Many people were strolling around, some with bicycles, some on their phones as they walked. If it was a sunny day, V was sure the stretches of grass would be full with people trying to catch a few rays of sunlight, but the rain had made the ground muddy and few were stepping on the grass. There were trees as far as the eye could see and a small bridge divided the lake that was at the center of the park. If she stretched her neck, she could she an assortment of towers in the distance. But something else caught her eye.

''Wait a minute…'', she trailed off, running to the middle of the bridge and looking in the direction of the towers, where a tall golden statue was visible over the tree tops. She pointed at it and turned to the Doctor. ''Is that the Victoria Memorial?''

He looked at it, a fake expression of shock plastered on his face. ''Maybe…''

V laughed once, but this time, it was of delight. ''This is St. James Park!''

The Doctor smiled at her. ''You're good! I should get you in the TARDIS for a couple of trips!''

V looked around in wonder. ''I have come here a few times, as a kid, but that was years ago!'' She stared down at the water before turning to the Doctor with a smile. ''But enough about me. You've taken advantage of the game! Let's talk about _you_'', she pointed playfully at him. Every time he thought about him, or even _looked _at him, she got frustrated at the little she knew about him, and now that the migraine was gone and she was with him, she was ready to grab her chance.

Although the Doctor was always there to spoil the fun. ''No, wait, one last question from me. The soldier mentioned that you had strong credentials, what did that mean?''

She just shrugged. ''I had something like a letter of recommendation.''

''Your mysterious contact?''

''Could be'', she smiled at him. ''Now, my turn. The bigger on the inside thing, how can you do that?''

He came to stand next to her, leaning against the railing and looking in the distance. ''It's Time Lord technology, created and developed on our planet.''

''Is it another dimension?'', V asked, a glint of wonder in her eyes.

''Technically, yes'', the Doctor nodded.

V nodded. ''And your planet, which one is it? Is it even in the Local Group?''

He raised an eyebrow. ''So you've studied Astronomy, too?''

''You're avoiding the question!'', V pressed on.

The Doctor got a longing look on his face. ''My planet's called Gallifrey. It lies in the constellation of Kasterborous, some, what, 250 million light-years from Earth? Give or take a few?''

V let out a low whistle. ''That's… Yes, that's pretty far. And you? Why do you travel? Surely you could have stayed home!''

''Now why would I do that?'', he asked her. ''There's so much of the universe to see, so much of time itself to live! There's so much beauty in the universe worth seeing and so many people, so many creatures that I can meet, so many new places to discover! And watching history unravel before me, before my own eyes, being part of the events, well, that's amazing! Believe me, if you'd seen the things that I've seen you wouldn't want to stay home!''

By now V was hanging from his every word. Just watching the delight radiate from his whole body was enough to captivate her. The way he spoke of his travels and the people he met in the process could inspire anyone, she was sure of it. But what lay in his eyes, that deep sadness and pain, were signs of a broken man. V had seen those eyes on every homeless man and woman she had met. It kept her thinking. What could that man have seen to make his eyes fill with such sorrow?

''Your eyes say otherwise'', she pointed out. ''Every broken soul has eyes like yours. None of them, however, have the fire yours have. That raw pain and rage, mingled together. It is dangerous to play with a man like that.''

The Doctor didn't reply. Instead, he kept staring ahead towards the roof of the Buckingham Palace, avoiding meeting V's gaze.

But she didn't drop the subject. ''What else have you seen in your travels, Doctor? Apart from the wonder and the beauty of the universe? Because this world is filled with evil and not everyone is happy with what they've got, and believe me, I know firsthand, and don't tell me the rest of the universe isn't the same way! Because then I won't believe you. I've seen far too many things here to believe that the same isn't happening out there!''

He took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes, that deep and sad brown staring right into her tired blue. ''Nothing can be just beautiful, V. If you scrap off enough of the surface, you'll always find the truth beneath, and most of the time you can't believe that truth, because it doesn't match with what you've seen above. But it's always there, lurking in the shadows… The bitterness, the cruelty… Ready to take away everything you hold dear the moment you least expect it, the moment you've realized that what you have is enough to make you happy for the rest of your life…''

And there they were. Two broken souls, staring each other right in the eye. One for something it lost, the other for something it never found. They simply refused to break eye contact, for they were sharing their pain and grief, but were also giving each other comfort at that very moment. Three hearts, beating as one, never to be left alone again. For, even if they didn't know it then, they would spend much time together, much more than they ever thought possible.

V patted the Doctor twice on the arm and walked to the opposite side of the bridge. ''Something more, Doctor. Your name. You said back in the TARDIS that it was a title and not your profession. Why do you use the title Doctor, Doctor?'', she joked, wiggling her eyebrows to lighten the atmosphere.

And it worked, for the Doctor smiled and joined her on the side of the bridge. ''Back in my planet, while we're in the Academy, a kind of special school for us Time Lords, we have this ceremony during which we choose a name. And that name is like a promise we make to the world that must never be broken.''

V smiled at him. '''The Man Who Makes People Better', 'The Healer', 'The Wiseman'. Have you kept your promise, Doctor?''

He looked down at his hands. ''Yeah, most of the time…''. The last part was so quiet that V thought she didn't hear him well.

Before she could ask him about it, however, he turned to her. ''You could do that, too.''

She raised a questioning eyebrow. ''What, make a promise?''

The Doctor shook his head. ''Apart from that. You can choose a name. Because going around calling yourself V, like you're a letter of the alphabet, is rubbish!''

She raised a threatening finger at him. ''Watch it, _Doctor_, because this letter of the alphabet can throw you in the lake and live you in there to drown!''

They both laughed at that, their first shared laugh. ''But, come on, there must be a name you really like!'', the Doctor pressed her.

V thought about it for a moment before smiling and turning to the Doctor. ''Now that you mention it… I've always liked the name Alexandra. It's Greek, female form of Alexandros.''

He nodded. '''The Defender Of Men', 'The Valiant One', 'The Warrior''', the Doctor mimicked her and looked her dead in the eye. ''Are you willing to keep up to that promise?''

V giggled, but when his serious expression didn't waver she just stared at him. ''Seriously?''

He just nodded. ''If you like it and are willing, then why not Alexandra? Are you willing to keep up to that promise?''

V smiled and nodded frantically. ''Yes, I am.''

The Doctor produced a small golden dagger from his jacket's pocket, which V stared at incredulously. ''Where did that fit?''

''My pockets are bigger on the inside'', he replied and V laughed. ''Now you have to kneel to do this properly.''

With an even bigger smile she dropped to one knee, completely ignoring the stares of the few passers-by. The Doctor touched the blade on her left shoulder. ''Upon this blade the promise is made. I now pronounce thee'', he moved the blade to her right shoulder, ''Alexandra, The Defender, The Valiant and The Warrior, Defender of What is Right, the Valiant Soul of the Seven Systems and the Brave Warrior in the fight against the Darkness.'' He completely removed the blade with a-proud?-smile on his face. ''You may stand.''

V slowly rose to her full height and then threw herself on the Doctor, hugging the living daylights out of him. He returned the hug with as much enthusiasm, both of them completely oblivious to the curious stares they received from the pedestrians.

V knew, deep down, that that was the best day of her life.


	5. Royal Moonlight

**A/N: So, no V or Doctor in this chapter, and it is considerably shorter than the usual ones, sorry! But I thought it was about time to introduce our big baddies for this story, which you will all understand who they are or, more appropriately, **_**what**_** they are, if you had been paying attention to Series 2 of Doctor Who, and I also needed a bit more time to finish chapter 6, which paves the way for the Doctor to find out who and what V actually is.**

**I have made a set for the outfits of our bad aliens on my Polyvore account, go on and check it out, if you'd like! Later on, a tribute set to the species will be made, as well.**

**Happy reading!**

The heavy iron door closed with a deafening thud and the thug looked at his prisoners through the bars. It wasn't the mystery that surrounded their capture that sent chills down his spine, it was their eyes. Those black, empty orbs that seemed to stare at you with the sole purpose of pulling out your darkest secrets. If it wasn't for their eyes, they would have easily passed as human.

They were found in a completely destroyed farm village in Wales, the sole survivors in the blazing ruins of houses completely consumed by flames. The girl had shoulder-length blonde hair with bangs that hid the right side of her face, a color her brother's shortly cut hair shared. Both barefoot, the girl wore a short light crème dress with sleeves that reached the elbows and a gold necklace with a reflective moon pendant, the boy in a pair of dark blue jean and a shirt along with a grey tie and a gold wolf ring. They did nothing more than stare out of their bars into empty space with their jet black soulless eyes. Most guards had refused to guard their cell, fearing that they would attack them in the night, but their boss had laughed them off, eyeing the ill build of the boy and the slender body of the girl with a mocking glance. He had then assigned his men one by one to guard the pair, until the Torchwood Scavengers' ''specialist'' arrived to identify them. After that, what _his_ boss had in mind to do with them, he had no idea.

Halfway through this guard's watch the boy, from his still position staring at a point on the pipes opposite their cell, offered his hand to his sister, which she took without even glancing at her brother. They let their joined hands drop on the bench and, for the first time in two days, closed their eyes.

_Soon, my sister, we will leave this prison and walk free_, the brother thought to his sister.

_I can feel our time coming, Romulus_, she thought back. _The vessel is approaching and we will spread in the stars again._

_And what a vessel that will be, Luna_, Romulus thought with a mental grin. _The girl who sees through time and space itself. The one who had the power of the universe poured in her at birth and who ever since has obtained powers of her own._

_With her as a guide, we will see the stars again, and not just feel the moonlight on our faces. And the last daughter of Gallifrey will become the new Priestess of the Moon. Along with the eternal traveler, the last son of Gallifrey, she will help us grow again._

_When she finally reaches her kingdom, we will have expanded the Empire of the Wolf again, we will have taken up the entire universe. _

_Do you think the great Wolf Mother has left us alone, brother?_, Luna asked her sibling then, concern coloring her thoughts, as well as worry.

_Don't whimper, my dear sister, our family taught us never to_, Romulus all but commanded her. _And even if she has, indeed, then it is our duty as heirs to the Empire to re-establish its power and burn a path of glory in the stars._

_My brother, Romulus, you have spoken true, as you always do. It is, indeed, our duty to the people that were lost. We must do it for our family_, Luna agreed finally.

Romulus squeezed his sister's hand affectionately. Since the burden of bringing her up fell on his shoulders, after their family released them to the universe to save them, he had taken great care of her, his last family.

Romulus opened his eyes and openly smiled, making the guard who turned to look at him a moment later jump from his seat. _Until she comes, then._

Luna followed his example and smiled with him, and the guard promptly turned his back at them to hide his eyes from their creepy stares.

_Until she comes_, she agreed. 


	6. Whole New Visions

**A/N: There you go, new chapter again! I'll probably have a four-day break after that, or something even shorter than that, we'll see!**

**Also, I would really like to see who you think Tiger is. Small clue: she exists as a cannon character in the Who universe. You can even look her up, if you know how to search! ;)**

**V's outfit can be found on my Polyvore account.**

**Enjoy! **

V pushed open the door of the restaurant with a smile on her face. It had been the most entertaining morning of her life, and she had gotten to spend it with the most remarkable man she had ever met. After her ''naming ceremony'', they had strolled down in the park and even sat down and ate lunch in a local pub, where the Doctor proceeded to try and taste beer. It was the most amusing thing watching him gag on his first sip and then, for the rest of the meal, eye the beer mug with a threatening stare, as if it would lung at him and make him drink the rest of the contents by force. There, he had shown her his psychic paper, trying to identify himself as John Smith, doctor of Paleontology, although V quickly told him that her ability made her see it as just a blank paper, and even demonstrated how he used his sonic screwdriver by opening a storage cupboard at the pub. That last one managed to piss off the waiters, who threw them out. All the while the Doctor hadn't stopped calling her by her new name, Alexandra.

Now, she was grinning from ear to ear as she sat down on one of the tables and looked around the empty restaurant. No one was there, not even the two bickering siblings. For a moment V sat like that, cherishing the silence. Her hand absentmindedly reached to stroke the fob watch around her neck, as it always did when she was in that state of calm. She traced the carvings with her finger, momentarily forgetting all about the world around her and focusing on the set of happy memories she had made that very morning. Her eyes wandered around in the room, focusing on nothing in particular…

Until they landed on a beige envelope on the bar counter. Immediately her head snapped up and she stood up to take it in her hand. It said nothing on the back. The only form of writing could be found on the flap that sealed the envelope shut, two words in calligraphic letters.

_For V_

''That arrived this morning'', a voice said and V looked up to see Anita descending the staircase, a basin full of clothes in her hands. ''I didn't open it, thought it might be a letter from your boyfriend.''

V gave her a crooked smile. ''I've told you a dozen times: _I don't have a boyfriend_.''

Anita gave her one in return and placed the basin on the counter. ''Oh yeah? Where have you been the whole day, then?''

''Around'', V answered cryptically.

''With that man from last night? Is he your boyfriend?'', Anita asked, now completely serious.

At that V actually laughed, rolling her eyes at her friend. ''Don't be ridiculous! You wouldn't believe how many years older from me he is.''

''He's cute, though'', she pointed out.

''For you, miss 27, maybe, but for me, no! There must be laws against it!'' _Not just for the age…_

''Well, unlike you, smartypants, I actually _have_ a boyfriend'', Anita said and started sorting out the clothes, mostly Roger's t-shirts. ''And I'm just interested in your life, V, nothing more, nothing less.''

V pressed her thumb against the edge of the envelope and it ripped open. She ran her finger through the tear to completely open it. ''Well, you needn't worry. I am single and like living my life as it is.'' She pulled out a thin crème card. ''And I might go around using another name…'', her voice trailed off when she saw the brief message on the card. Her blood had already run cold.

_Don't forget where you stand. We'll be waiting._

_Mrs. H_

She felt like fainting right there and then, holding on to the counter for support. What did that mean? Someone must have seen them, her and the Doctor, in the park. There was no other explanation. Unless…

Unless they found out about UNIT's bust at the library.

''V, what's wrong?'', Anita asked in concern. ''You're as white as a sheet.''

V briefly looked at her before straightening up. ''If you need me, I'll be in my cupboard.'' And with that she took the envelope and message and dashed in her cupboard, locking the door behind her. There, she brought her knees to her chest and buried her head in them, silent tears spilling out of her eyes.

So this was how a perfect world was destroyed a heartbeat.

…

During her confinement in the cupboard, V had fallen asleep rather quickly, given the day she had had. Her dreams were even more vivid this time, almost feeling too real for her liking…

_The once peaceful burnt orange sky was now filled with columns of smoke, coming from every point of the planet. The mighty glass dome that enclosed the Citadel in its embrace was now cracked and even more smoke was coming out from a hole at the top. At the foot of the snow-capped mountain, the forest with the silver trees didn't resemble fire when it caught the sunlight anymore; true and scorching fire had spread and engulfed the whole forest. Red grass didn't grow on the ground anymore; it had all gone down with the burning flames._

_The most repulsive thing of all was the amount of corpses on the ground: hundreds upon hundreds of people lay dead on the burnt ground, elegant robes stained with blood. Some had their eyes open, some had them closed, and some even retained their terrified expressions after death. Something horrible had fallen over the place, and V feared that the planet of her dreams might just be gone once and for all, the twin suns now shining over dead land for the rest of the years._

_But something caught her eye. There, between two lit torches, stood a stone circle with intricate patterns at the sides. At its center, a purple hue swirled like the inside of a tornado, making V focus even more on it. In her mind she realized; it was power. The raw power of the universe right in front of her eyes. Stars being born, growing, turning into black holes and dying. Galaxies revolving and colliding with each other. People leaving their lives and parting this world, as well. And it wasn't just the universe playing out in front of her. It was time, as well. Historical events of every kind and every place unraveled right in front of her, and between them all the choices that could have been made, choices that could have changed the course of history, choices that could have made the world better, or worse. And, just scattered between those infinite possibilities, lay the choices that were finally taken, along with their results. V could see everything in this endless vortex of power, what is, what was, what will be, what won't and what shouldn't. Just staring at it locked her into place, unable to do anything but keep looking at the interminable force of the universe itself._

''_The final journey has come for us, but you must carry on…'', a whispering voice slithered into her mind. _

''_Our traditions must be passed down…'', another one whispered along the first._

''_Don't let us fade in vain…'', a third one said._

_But then a whisper stronger than them and warmer than any other found itself into the void her mind had become._

''_No doubt you would find him. I was always sure that you would. Then again, I was even more certain that he would find you first. But it's in your blood, adventure. You will crave it, as I did. You won't sit still without it. I just hope that you seek it in the right way, and not in the way_ he _did. Not in the way I later did. Because, it seems, adventure and conquest was always our downfall. It runs in the family…''_

_In a sudden burst of light the whispers vanished and her dream was no more._

When she finally opened her eyes, which stung from crying, her lips carried just one desperate word in the silence of the confined space.

''Mum?''

…

As she walked down the street she adjusted her fedora over the banana bun at the back of her head. She was dressed in the normal Torchwood Scavenger wear: a black coat over a short blue dress, black heels and, just to spice it up, a pair of black rose stud earrings. She had put on some dark red lipstick and mascara on her usually make-up free face, giving her an even more mysterious look, fit for the team. Her normal attire was left in the portable toilet in a duffel bag. She always changed clothes after finishing the mission and before she reached the restaurant so that Anita and Roger didn't ask her questions as to where she had been. Better believe that she was sneaking out to see a boyfriend rather than helping execute death sentences.

She reached the small playground in no time at all. At this hour, it was deserted and no one was walking in the street. V had to admit, Mrs. Herley knew how to pick meeting places. Checking the perimeter once, she turned in a dark alley to meet her team. No use making an impression now, the newbies knew she existed. There was a black car parked there with all its doors opened. Mrs. Herley was sitting on the driver's seat, feet out of the car, and when she spotted V she smiled. ''Good evening, my dear. How was your day?''

V fought the urge to turn on her heel and run away, putting a polite smile on her face instead. ''Eventful.''

Mrs. Herley stepped out of the car and motioned for her henchmen to do the same. ''I was told that yesterday night you were talking to a man at the restaurant, is that true?'', she asked V.

Without knowing what else to do, she nodded. ''He was there and he liked my performance, so I sat down and talked to him.''

''And what about this morning?'', Mrs. Herley asked her then. V caught her breath. So they _had_ seen them that morning.

''He was just there when I went to the park. Our meeting was absolutely coincidental'', she assured her boss. She looked at V for a moment before turning her attention to her henchmen, snapping her fingers once. Two of them went to the back of the car and opened the trunk, pulling out a man in a black long-sleeved overall. His hands, however, were insect-like and had a metallic green color. A bag was pulled over his head, standard policy for all prisoners.

She stepped closer and grabbed the bag with one hand. ''So, what do you make of this?'', she asked V and pulled the bag away. V kept herself from taking several steps back, letting her eyes widen at the sight. The head of the alien resembled that of a huge fly, metallic green and with eyes that caught most of its head's space. Even its mouth was fly-like. She cleared her throat and focused on the task at hand.

''I'd say tritovore'', she named it after careful examination. ''Does it speak?'', she turned to Mrs. Herley.

Her boss shook her head. ''Just some clicking noises, but nothing comprehensible'', she replied. Then she took her gun out of her pocket and loaded it. ''We won't get much information from mister flyboy over here'', she said and aimed her gun at the head. The tritovore made a series of frantic clicking noises.

V made her way to sit in the car to avoid seeing the tritovore collapse on the ground after the gunshot echoed in the alley. _Six_, she thought. _Six aliens in two weeks and it is my fault._

The clicking of heels made V look up and watch as Mrs. Herley approached her, a black pouch in her hands. ''Well done, V.''

''Thank you, Mrs. Herley. If you don't need me for anything else, I'll just-''

''Oh no, not so fast'', Mrs. Herley stopped her before she could leave. ''I'd like to inform you ahead of time that I will be needing you tomorrow night.''

V almost groaned. ''Another alien was captured?''

''More like two of them'', she corrected her.

''And why haven't you brought them here tonight?''

''We thought it best to keep them confined in the headquarters. And that's where tomorrow night's meeting will take place.''

At that, V's heart leaped. She would go to the Scavengers' headquarters? _Tomorrow? _''But I don't know how to get there, you've never told me.''

Her boss just waved her off. ''You'll come here tomorrow night and we will pick you up and transport you there, it's all set; you won't have to worry about a thing.''

This was the chance she had been asking for. When Tiger first linked her with UNIT, they informed her of the existence of a secret base, where the Scavengers kept their most serious cases. V, being just an ''advisor'' of sorts, had never set foot there, so anything she knew of the headquarters came from conversations with Mrs. Herley. But now, she would have the chance to step in there, and this was why she had been working for UNIT in the first place. They had cooperated with her because there was a possibility that she might enter the headquarters and grant them access there to finally apprehend the gang and stop their mad killing spree.

But the reason that her boss wanted her to visit the headquarters was bothering her. Those aliens that they had locked up in their lair would have to be really dangerous to not be let out of the cell. But that was an even more important reason to contact UNIT.

''What do you think about these?'', Mrs. Herley interrupted her train of thought by offering her what she was holding.

V took the pouch from her hands and reached inside it. The first item she drew out was a square black device with a glowing purple light. She let out a low whistle. ''Tritovores have some mean technology.''

''What is it? Is it a weapon?'', Mrs. Herley asked, a little too eagerly.

V looked at her. ''No, not at all! It's a telepathic translator!''

Mrs. Herley crossed her arms over her chest and signed impatiently. ''Meaning?''

''The Tritovores use this to understand other languages! It literally translates every word they hear to a language they understand!'' Then V froze. ''It could understand everything you were saying.''

The woman snatched the device from V's hands to examine it. ''But this is marvelous! If we can reverse engineer it…'', she trailed off, focusing on V again. ''What about the other one?''

V reached in the bag again, now producing a solid black block. V turned it over in her hands, and then removed the cap to a secret compartment. Inside there were a series of black round buttons and a small red light that flashed irregularly. ''It's a signal transmitter. Finely engineered, by the looks of it.''

Her boss went back to the body. ''We have hundreds of those. Get rid of it.''

''Hold on'', V mumbled, staring at the light. Its pattern was repeating itself over and over again in front of her eyes. _Tit-tit-tit-tat-tat-tat-tit-tit-tit, tit-tit-tit-tat-tat-tat-tit-tit-tit…_

''Three dots, three dashes, three dots…'', she mumbled under her breath. _…-…, …-…,…_

Her eyes widened when she realized what it was and she jumped to her feet. ''It's transmitting a distress signal!'', she shouted. All the operatives stared at her in horror.

''Throw it at the ground, _now_!'', Mrs. Herley commanded, and for once V complied without hesitation. Once it landed, her boss planted three bullets in it for good measure. But it was already too late.

Suddenly the whirring noise of something familiar to V spread in the street. V staggered towards the fire escape, a hand resting on her temple. There it was, the migraine again, preventing her mind from registering the sound of Mrs. Herley's voice shouting for them to run and the tires of the car screeching on the asphalt at it sped away. As she sunk to her knees, a set of footsteps echoed behind her and she turned her head slightly to look at the Doctor as he crouched down next to the dead tritovore.

''I'm sorry'', he mumbled. ''I'm so sorry, I was late…''

Without hesitation, V stood up and took off towards the open road, but the Doctor noticed the movement. ''Come back!'', he shouted after her and ran behind her in pursuit. Rounding the corner, V quickly took off her heels and kept running barefoot in the street as she had done when she was little.

The Doctor seemed fine with the idea that she was working for UNIT, but what would he say when he found out she worked for Torchwood, as well? She didn't want him to know about that part of her, because she herself was ashamed of it and wanted to end it. His image of her didn't need to be ruined by that aspect of her life, because it would be over soon, anyway. It would be as if she had never become a member of that mob.

But her expectations were short lived when her foot accidentally caught on a loose tile on the pavement and she found herself falling head-first on the ground. She let out a loud groan as her head hit the tile and her fedora left her head to roll a few feet away. Stars danced around her vision and she found herself unable to move from her position. But that wasn't necessary, as the Doctor grabbed her hands rather ferociously and turned her around to face him.

Her heart clenched when she saw the expression on his face: fury mixed with utter betrayal. He just stared down at her, the raw fire she had seen in his eyes now ablaze. ''_Alexandra?_'', he whispered incredulously.

She just pulled her hands away from his death grip and managed to stand up, staggering only a bit. She rubbed at her sore wrists to get the feeling back. ''See what I meant? See what I was trying to protect you from?''

''You killed him, Alexandra'', he spat out, anger coloring every word.

V was close enough to slap him hard on the cheek. ''How _dare_ you say that?!'', she exclaimed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. ''From the little you've known me, do you really think that I would be capable of that?'' She turned around and picked her fedora from the ground before going back to the Doctor and handing him her gun. ''Go on'', she urged him, ''sonic it. You'll find that it has never been used.''

The Doctor looked down at the gun and then back at her. ''Then who did?'', he demanded.

She crossed her hands over her chest, turning her back to him. ''That would be my boss and her team of mobsters, the Torchwood Scavengers.'' Something tickled on her eyebrow, something she suspected was blood.

He almost dropped the gun. ''Torchwood. You work for Torchwood! I managed to close it down and it still exists and you _work _for them!''

V span around at once, wide eyes looking at the Doctor. ''So it's true then. Everything they say, about you and the battle of Canary Wharf, it's true.''

The Doctor stared blankly at her. ''Why is this important?''

''_27 survivors! _Of_ 823 people _working in Torchwood One there were _27 survivors!_'', she all but screamed at him at the top of her lungs. Now the tears ran freely down her cheeks, mixing with the blood from the wound on her head.

''There would be _no _survivors if I hadn't interfered, is that what you wanted?'', he replied. She noticed with a start that his own eyes seemed to water while he spoke, in contrast to his angered expression. ''And I mean no survivors on the whole planet. I would never stand being responsible for the deaths of so many people again. And what are you doing working for UNIT if you work for Torchwood?''

''That's what I do for UNIT'', she finally confessed after a short while in silence. ''I spy on Torchwood and tell UNIT about their movements. I'm trying to save their lives, Doctor, but it's not easy. But now it's time for drastic measures.'' Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the nearest phone booth, dialing the number for what she hoped would be the last time. After passing the recorded message again, a woman answered, but she didn't even wait to be greeted. ''UNIT operative Nebula, requesting Colonel Mace, _now_'', she said in one breath.

Moments later, a man's voice boomed in the speaker. ''This is Colonel Mace, report.''

''Sir, we have a development'', she clearly stated. Her eyes caught the Doctor staring at her through the glass of the phone booth, and she somehow found the required confidence to utter the next words, promising herself that she would clear up the mess between them later. ''Operation Milky Way is a go.''


	7. Maze of Their Minds

**A/N: Okay… That wasn't four days… Busy program, I guess… but the length of this chapter surely makes up for my absence! Next chapter we will delve deeper in the words of the two alien Torchwood captives, AND, some two chapters later, we will get V's (or Alexandra's, whatever you like) real name! **

**Who knows, maybe we'll get more than we bargained for then…**

**Also, I have put up a poll concerning both the stories I have up at the moment, you can visit my profile later and check it out. It's about whether you'd like to put up a cast for my OCs in the stories to see how I imagine them looking like. Go on and vote!**

**V's restaurant outfit can be found on my Polyvore account.**

**Read on, and be sure to leave your feedback!**

V was, surely, a sight to look at the next morning, walking around London in her long black coat and carrying a thick black briefcase, topped with the fact that she had a black beanie hat, black fingerless gloves and black high-tops on and that a short train of hot pink, see-through fabric was hanging out of the bottom of her coat. She had risked going to the library that day, just to see if UNIT had left the spot, only to be surprised by the fact that the strike team had actually left behind the file she had requested. Not that it was much use, now that the Doctor knew what she did in her spare time. But it would be dangerous to leave such a file hanging around in a public library, plus the fact that she really wanted to get a look at the files.

That morning Anita and Roger would be out of town, going to check with a new supplier, leaving the store closed and V plenty of time to pack the essentials for her mission at night. If things went well, she had considered ringing Tiger and asking her to move in with her and her son, but if they didn't, she had to be ready to disappear out of the face of the Earth, _if_ she had time to escape the headquarters.

She had reached the restaurant by then. All the blinds were drawn down to hide the view through the glass, along with a small sign that read ''CLOSED'' in red letters. V pulled out her keys, going to unlock the bottom lock of the door, when the key got stuck mid-turning. The lock was already opened. Puzzled, she checked (with some difficulty) the top one, only to get the same results. How could she have forgotten to lock the door? But that wasn't possible. She remembered herself locking both locks before leaving. Cautiously, she pushed the door open, briefcase raised close to her face to strike any intruders. She should have realized that that wasn't the case.

As soon as light bathed the room from outside, she could see the Doctor clearly standing in front of the bar, brown coat draped over one of the booths. ''We need to talk.''

The briefcase-wielding hand dropped and V sighed. ''_You_ need to leave.'' She threw her outer layers of clothing and briefcase to the nearest booth and shut the door behind her. Before she could reach for a light switch, the Doctor had pulled out his sonic and pointed it upwards, flooding the room with the light of the lamps.

He quickly took to studying her. Instead of her usual cardigan, she had worn a black button-up sleeveless vest over a black camisole and, of course, her trademark skirt, that day with a trail and fuchsia in color. Moving on to the details, he noticed that her earrings had been replaced for fuchsia diamond drop earrings and a thick silver chain disappeared in her neckline, preventing him from seeing the charm. It seemed to always be there, even if everything else on her changed. The clothes, the earrings, she changed everything, except for the necklace. She was wearing it last night when he had caught her with the Scavengers, and even during her performance. What would be so important that she wouldn't leave it out of her sight? And _why_?

''I believe the information you were holding back was quite important, after all'', the Doctor commented.

''Yes, important if you had a death wish!'', V snapped at him. ''What are you doing here? The team will be monitoring me all day to make sure I don't talk to anyone!''

''Then start talking'', he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

''They're going to kill you, like they did with the tritovore, like they've done with hundreds of aliens before you, is that what you want?'', she asked him incredulously.

He simply moved to sit where he had left his coat, head resting on his left hand.

V threw her hands in the air and groaned in exasperation. ''Fine!'', she exclaimed, ''But consider yourself warned.'' She then walked to her cupboard and dragged out the box in which she held her clothes, raising it on a table. Then she pulled out her grey backpack and started sorting out her stuff, deciding which clothes to shove inside.

''You keep your clothes in the cupboard under the stairs?'', the Doctor asked.

''And sleep beside them, yes'', she replied absentmindedly, not quite focusing.

His eyes widened. ''You actually sleep in there?!''

She dropped her hands in the box and turned her gaze on him. ''Could you please be quite? I'm busy!''

''Packing, it seems. Like you're going somewhere'', he mumbled in thought. The case was getting more curious and more curious…

''Quite frankly, I am'', she said, shoving a few cardigans at the bottom of the bag. ''When this whole business is over, I'll be off. I'm a bit like you if you think of it. Make a mess and then disappear.''

She didn't notice the Doctor's solemn look. ''You've been working for Torchwood for how long?''

''Since I was seven. I walked in on one of their meetings, they saw my talent, got me to work for them ever since. Even gave me a pistol; imagine what that does to a little girl.''

''And all this time you've let them kill innocent creatures that find their way to Earth to, what, feel content that your planet is vermin-free?''

''Since last night you have done nothing else but insult me, Doctor'', V said, more serious than ever. ''After two years I realized what they did was wrong, so I tried to run for it. I ran away for a while, trying to find a way to leave them.''

''What are they doing with the aliens, exactly? They can't just capture them and kill them, that's not the point of Torchwood'', the Doctor wondered.

V sighed. ''They are called the Torchwood Scavengers and they are just that: alien scavengers, trackers. They are a special subdivision, run by Mrs. Heather Herley, former MI6 turned Torchwood associate. Their job is to find any aliens and take their devices for analysis. The aliens, themselves are…'', she swallowed, ''_disposable_''.

''And what exactly do _you_ do for them?''

''I'm their identifier'', she replied after a moment. ''They call me if they need me to identify the species of the aliens and later give me the devices for analysis. The information on the species is catalogued and the devices are sent over to the main Torchwood branches.''

The Doctor just stared at her thoughtfully. Giving up her packing, she moved to pull the chair opposite from the Doctor's and sit on it. ''Before you start to think how heartless I am, I need you to know this. I tried to save them, I really _did_. Whenever I met an alien I tried to guide it away from the planet, the latest example being _you_'', she motioned to him with her head. ''The more you knew about me, the more in danger you were, and now you're fully compromised because they have _seen_ you with me. If they found out you're actually alien, then you'd be dead. That's why I'm pushing you away.'' Taking a last look at him, she stood up again and walked off, only to turn around and stare at him. ''As I recall, you haven't been completely honest with me, too'', she started and he straightened up. ''' I would never stand being responsible for the deaths of so many people again''', she quoted him. ''What did you mean?''

He shook his head. ''Doesn't matter-''

She banged her hand on one of the tables, causing him to flinch slightly. ''Yes, it does! Because you can't chastise me while you, obviously, have been keeping things from me, as well! That kind of makes as even, so'', she pulled out a chair and sat on it with its back supporting her chest, ''tell me.''

The Doctor sighed heavily. He had never sat down to explain to someone why he acted the way he did, why, when he had saved the world one more time, he ran to his TARDIS to find something even more dangerous to battle. That mysterious girl in front of him was driving him nearly to the edge. But, for no apparent reason, he found himself _willing_ to answer, willing to tell her about the darkness that chased him wherever he went. But he had to hold back. ''Do you enjoy it?''

''Enjoy what?'', she asked, puzzled.

''Your life. Maybe think that it'll never end.''

V had to give a slight chuckle at that. ''For your information, I've thought of taking my own life, when things got rough. Maybe that's the reason I didn't leave the Scavengers'', she gave him a meaningful look, ''because trouble was there when there was nothing else. And maybe that's why you enjoy it, too.''

''What do you mean?'', it was the Doctor's turn to ask.

She smiled. ''I'm extra perceptive, Doctor. I catch things where other people can't. Something bad happened'', she said, earning a look from him, ''back at home.''

The Doctor's voice was dark and cold, making V shiver. ''There was a war.''

''Big war?''

''Yeah.''

''And you killed?''

''Yeah, I did.''

''And your people lost.''

The Doctor gave her a dark chuckle. ''Alexandra, everyone lost. Our enemies, ourselves, everyone, the whole of creation!''

V couldn't help but cower away slightly. ''Yet here you are'', she whispered.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. ''I was the only one who could end it.''

''You mean the only one who had the _guts_ to end it'', she supplied. ''And you've been running away before the past catches up on you. Lucky you'', she remarked dryly, ''at least you have a past chasing you, while I don't even know if mine will ever find me.'' She then headed back over to the box to pick her dress for that night.

''Your past doesn't define you''.

''You don't believe that'', V countered, not even bothering to look at him as she held two dresses, a blue lace one and a white one, against each other to compare them. ''If you did, you wouldn't have asked me about my early years.'' She dropped the blue one in the box and picked up another one, maroon with lace sleeves that reached the elbow.

''That's different'', the Doctor defended. ''I needed to know more about you so that I could understand where your powers came from, and I _still_ don't know! That hasn't happened in a very long time!''

V snorted involuntarily. ''Now I'm glad for that. Giving a genius alien humanoid a headache, how many people have the privilege to say that?''

The Doctor didn't even register that, as he was on a roll. ''Is any part of your body longer than it should be? Maybe shorter? Something extra, nothing?''

She raised an eyebrow. ''Has the air around here messed up your mind?'', she asked him quite seriously.

The Doctor just shook his head. ''Humans aren't supposed to have those kinds of powers, and no mutation would boost your mind like that, so it must be alien in origin. Maybe your origins are alien, or something like an alien artifact is interfering with your brain waves…'' He didn't fail to notice V's fingers reaching for the chain around her neck. ''What's that?''

She shook her head like she was in a daze. ''Uh? Nothing, nothing.''

''You never take that necklace off. I've seen you change every article of your clothing, even the _earrings_ aren't the same, but that chain is always around your neck'', the Doctor mumbled. ''Must be really important to not carry it with you at all times, so what is it?''

V sighed a bit and moved to take it off, when a loud banging on the door interrupted her. The Doctor stood up at once and stared at it, as did V. ''The sign says closed…'', she started.

''…so who could be banging at a closed restaurant's door?'', the Doctor finished for her, turning to look at her at the same time she did and doing a double take. V's eyes were filled with pure terror and her body clearly was in a position that would allow her to run for her life, as all the muscles in her body screamed for her to do. He was sure she hadn't been that terrified even when UNIT had marched in the library to get her. He had a hard time believing that the Torchwood Scavengers were that dangerous, but right now, seeing her tremble, _her_, who hadn't even blinked in front of a whole military strike team ready to shoot at her, he had to change his mind. ''Alexandra?''

In the blink of an eye, she gathered herself up and pointed towards the direction of the toilets. ''Get in there, don't make a sound until I tell you it's safe'', she whispered. His gaze lingering on her face, he picked up his coat and ran silently for the bathrooms. V watched him go before taking another deep breath and throwing the door open quickly…

To see that no one was there. She looked up and down the street, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone trying to look at her, but found no one. She dropped her gaze on the pavement and was startled to find a black velvet ring box in front of the door. She knelt down and picked it up, staring at it intently as she made her way inside again. ''All clear…'', she called, a little absentmindedly, and the Doctor came in the room again, frowning when he saw what she was holding. When he didn't speak, she looked up and showed him the box. ''I found it on the pavement. Do you mind scanning it?''

''_Scanning it?_'', he asked her.

''With the screwdriver, see if it's safe to open'', she explained. ''For all I know, it might be wired to explode once I open it.''

The Doctor raised a questioning eyebrow, but took out his screwdriver and scanned, nonetheless. ''Clear'', he said after a moment. V pushed up the lid to find a tiny beige earpiece inside. ''Gift from your UNIT buddies, it seems.''

She ignored the last remark and put the earpiece in her ear moments before a man's voice called in it. ''_Trap One to Nebula, Trap One to Nebula, are you receiving me?_''

V, though startled, pressed her finger lightly on a small button to activate it. ''Yes, loud and clear, this is Nebula.''

''_Ma'am, I'm Colonel Mace, we talked last night_'', Colonel Mace greeted her.

''That we did, Colonel. I suppose the operation is set up?'', she asked. The Doctor motioned her to drop her hand from the earpiece.

''I'm going to access your mind to listen in, alright?'', he declared more than asked permission, but V nodded. He placed two fingers on her temples and V took a few steps back, alarmed at the sudden connection formed in her mind, and closed her eyes, seeing the Doctor doing the same.

''_A small team will follow you to the Headquarters and then the rest will follow. You will have your comm. on and operating at all times so that we can communicate. As soon as you identify the alien that was captured, we'll step in and arrest the Torchwood personnel present, are we clear?_''

V reached to the earpiece again. ''Clear, I'll be there. Nebula out'', she said and dropped her hand, breaking the connection… just as the Doctor decided to take a stroll in her mind, making her gasp. ''What are you doing?''

''I'm trying to find your early memories'', he replied, not bothering to look at her. ''Something must have happened when you were a baby, probably before you were left in the streets…''

''But I don't know what happened then…''

''Just because you don't _remember_, doesn't mean you don't _know_'', he explained and frowned. ''Your head's a maze! And a very well organized one…''

V just smiled. ''I'll take that as a compliment. And what happens to the things I _don't_ want you to see?''

''Still hiding things, then?''

''Tell me.''

The Doctor huffed. ''Well, your head's a maze already, just… lead me to a dead end when I get too close.''

She nodded. In her mind she could literally feel him walking around her memories, and she was careful to put up mental _hedges_ around the most brutal parts of her career as a Scavenger. But as she did that, she sensed warmth at the far edge of her mind.

_Focusing more, she found herself in an actual maze, hedges taller than the Doctor surrounding her, an old stone arch with cracks on it appearing in front of her. V took a step forward, then another, until she found herself on the other side. There, all the hedges had withered, only brown branches remaining, close together to conceal the sides around her. Her head whipped around, catching sight of the gate. Ahead of her, a dead maze awaited her, and she wasn't entirely sure it was her own. Her hand reached for the right wall and she started making her head forwards, touching the wall. Before she could make it to the first junction a man ran past in a leather jacket and purple jumper, his hair trimmed short in a military cut. ''Come on!'', he called over his shoulder in a northern accent, heading right._

_Just as V was about to shout after him, a young woman, possibly nineteen or twenty with blonde hair that reached her shoulders, rushed after him. ''Doctor, wait!'', she shouted._

_She froze. Who where they? Taking a few more steps forward, she reached the junction and turned right to follow them, only to stumble upon an unusual sight: the Doctor, standing in front of the girl, who was crying her eyes out. ''And what about you? Are you…?'', he was asking her. _

''_Yeah, I'm-I'm back working at the shop'', she replied, voice broken._

_The Doctor simply nodded. ''Oh, good for you.''_

_The woman laughed for a moment. ''Shut up. No, I'm not. There's still a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business.'' Eventually, her voice thickened with emotion. ''I think I know a thing or two about aliens.''_

_He smiled proudly at her. ''Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth.''_

_V's mind went back to the conversation she had with the Doctor back when she had performed. He had mentioned a Rose, but then his face had turned sad and he tried to avoid V's gaze. Was that her? Was that the girl that made him sad?_

''_You're dead'', the memory Doctor went on. ''Officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're in a list of the dead.'' Rose's eyes now filled with tears that started running down her cheeks, leaving trails on her cheeks. ''Here you are'', he had enough emotional strength to smile. ''Living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have.''_

''_Am I ever gonna see you again?'', Rose sobbed, her head resting on one of her hands._

_His eyes were filled with sorrow and regret, as if it pained him to even utter the words as he shook his head. ''You can't.''_

''What happened to her?'', V asked out loud. ''She looks heartbroken.''

''Who does?'', the Doctor asked, too caught up searching her mind to notice she had entered _his_.

''That woman you're talking to'', she replied and frowned. ''You look as bad as her'', she observed.

''I'm not talking to anyone-'', but he caught himself and snapped open his eyes. ''Alexandra what are you doing?''

''The maze is big'', she simply replied. ''You never know where you'll end up if you stray.''

''You have shifted your whole consciousness in my mind, get out!'', the Doctor demanded.

V grabbed his hands in distress. ''Why are you so sad? You look heartbroken.''

''Alexandra, you have to get _out_!'', he repeated, now growing tense.

She tightened her grip on him. ''How?!''

''Go back the way you came in, hurry!''

_V turned around quickly, changing hands so that her left rested on the hedge wall and ran back the way she came in. Once she took the turn back, she could make out the Doctor standing at the gate, waving her forward. ''Come on, get out!'', he beckoned her towards him._

_Halfway down the corridor, she stumbled and fell on the hedges. Her head was in terrible pain and she had to put her hands on her temples to keep steady._

''What's happening to me?'', she asked the Doctor, frantic.

''You weren't aware you had entered my mind before, now your consciousness is fighting to stabilize between two minds, you have to keep going!''

_She nearly crawled forward towards the Doctor's figure, who was trying to encourage her forward. ''You can do it, just a little more, come on!''_

_V fell against the bare bushes again. ''I can't!'', she sobbed; the pain had grown in a few seconds to be excruciating. ''My head's burning!''_

''_Don't give up, you can do it! I know you can!''_

_The next step sent V in another trip in the Doctor's memories, this time on the surface of a red planet. Fire had spread everywhere, and with a start she realized that the scenery was vaguely familiar. Everything, from the shattered glass dome to the damaged disks on the ground, brought her back to her last dream, where she had seen the destruction of the planet she had grown to love. On a hill, overlooking all of it, stood a very familiar phone box, blue, making contrast with the red of the planet. In front of it, fiddling with a device, was the man V had seen running down the maze before. His hands trembled, the device threatening to drop to the ground. _

''_I'm sorry'', he was calling down. ''It's the only way all of this will end.'' Then he pressed a button and the entire planet shook, sending him to the ground. He took one last longing look at the planet, taking in everything his eyes saw, as if to sear the image in his mind, and turned inside the box, which disappeared once he closed the doors._

_She appeared once again in the maze, on her knees. ''That planet…''_

''_Alexandra, you have to come out now!'', the Doctor shouted at her. With the power she had, V pushed herself to her feet and took a few staggering steps towards him, throwing her arms out…_

She fell against him heavily, the Doctor wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from falling on the ground. Her breath was coming out ragged and unsteady and she had thrown almost all her weight against him. ''See, I knew you could do it'', he whispered to her, leading her to a chair and making her sit down.

''That planet'', V mumbled as the Doctor knelt in front of her. ''Was that your home, Gallifrey?''

''What did you see?'', the Doctor asked her curiously.

''That planet, that red planet, it was _ruined_, it was on fire''. She wasn't looking at him; her eyes were fixed on empty space, her gaze empty. ''People were dead. And there was your box, your TARDIS, and a man…'' She trailed off, realizing something, and turned her eyes on him. ''He was you. You with another face.''

''Yeah, I can do that, change my face. It's how I stay alive'', he explained.

''I've seen this planet before.''

The Doctor was on his feet in an instant, staring down at her. ''What?''

''In my dreams, it was always there, and the night before yesterday I saw it burned, just like in your head. How could I have seen it?'', she asked him, a bit desperate for answers. She would have never imagined that her life would take such unexpected twists in just a few short moments.

''I dunno'', he answered, quite honestly. He, himself, was getting a headache with the mystery surrounding her, something that didn't happen often. ''When did you first see it?''

''It's been there my whole life, every night, in my dreams'', she said. ''I don't think there was a specific point when it started.'' Then she turned her attention to him. ''Did you find what you were looking for?''

He stayed silent for a moment before replying. ''No, you cut me off. I must have been close, though.''

''I'm sorry''. She stood up to move the box away, leaving outside the white dress she was looking at, but then stopped. ''You know what Doctor? Let's leave it.''

''Leave what?'', he frowned.

''This, you trying to see how I came to past doesn't define you, but it sure as hell gives you a boost to become what you want to become. And you know what I learned in those past years? You have to choose for yourself.'' She reached over to the clip of her necklace and took it off, resting the fob watch on the table with her hand on top of it. She instantly felt bare without it. It had been a long while since she had taken it off, and the weight of it felt natural around her neck by now. She rubbed its side to comfort herself. ''And tonight, I'm choosing that how I became what I am doesn't matter. What matters is what I am now. Because this is how I'll be when I leave this life behind.''

And it was true. All those years she had wondered why she was the way she was. She wanted to find her parents, to ask them what was wrong with her, to just learn where she came from. But she hadn't realized that, by not being restrained by her past, she had shaped her own future. He hadn't realized that nothing would change if she found out who she was. She would just have a tag. When she looked at the Doctor's memories, she saw what kind of man he was, and that image didn't match the one she had formed in her mind. It made her realize that people hid the past for a reason. Maybe it was better that she didn't remember. And now she saw that her future would be nothing like the past, and she was glad. She took one last look at her watch and lifted the box to move it in her cupboard, not noticing the Doctor's jaw almost dropping to the floor at the sight of the fob watch.

When she came out with a pair of black heels to check if they matched the dress, the Doctor had disappeared… along with the watch.

…

Hidden in the shadows in her black coat, her face concealed in her fedora's shadow, no one could spot V in the dark alley across the playground, waiting for the car that would take her to Torchwood's headquarters. She had made sure to leave her black hair down in loose waves to hide the earpiece in her right ear from Mrs. Herley's eyes. As she waited, she couldn't help but smile.

_Everything will be over in a few hours_, she thought to herself. _Soon, I will be free_.

It was bothering her that the Doctor had taken her fob watch with him. Why on Earth would he want such an artifact? V had thought that maybe he agreed with Anita's theory that the markings on the watch were some alien language and he wanted to investigate, but wouldn't he have asked her for permission to take it? It was rather rude what he did, but then again, he was a bit rude himself.

He was pulled out of her thoughts by a shining black limo pulling up in front of the alley. V's eyes widened as she stepped out of the shadows to see the shotgun door opening and Mrs. Herley stepping out of it. ''Good evening, dear. Ready to go?'', she asked her.

''My powers at your service'', V smiled at her, ready to step in the back seat, well, one of the back seats…

''Good evening.''

The whole team in the car, about seven of them, got out and pointed guns at the Doctor, who had appeared out of nowhere in the alley. V had no choice but to aim her own gun at him, careful not to give away the fact that her hand was slightly trembling. He slowly raised his hands in surrender.

''V?'', Mrs. Herley asked the girl, who was standing next to her.

She swallowed, knowing very well what would happen if she lied. ''Well-'', but she was cut off.

''I'm the Doctor.'' Those words were enough to make the whole team pull the safety of their guns off. ''Oh, such warm welcoming, I feel like I'm being spoiled!''

''So you are the famous Doctor, then'', Mrs. Herley said. ''I have to say, you don't strike me as the Destroyer of Worlds.''

''You don't strike me as someone who would work with kids'', he turned his eyes on V, and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

''Who I work with is none of your concern'', Mrs. Herley replied, raising a hand in front of V, almost protectively. ''If they're useful, I let them join me.''

''_Trap One to Nebula, confirm the presence of the Doctor_'', Colonel Mace ordered in her earpiece. How was she supposed to do that?

''Who is he then, the Doctor?'', she decided to ask Mrs. Herley. ''What is he doing here?''

Her boss turned to look at her and pointed the gun at her instead. ''You tell me.''

V shot a brief glance at the Doctor, one filled with terror again, before calmly turning to face her boss. ''I'm not psychic'', she clarified, ''nor empathic. I can tell you what he is, not what he wants.''

Mrs. Herley looked at her for a moment and turned her attention on the Doctor again, taking a few steps towards him. ''I've wanted to stare at your face for a long time, Doctor, ever since your little stunt at Canary Wharf. I'm Mrs. Herley with Torchwood.''

''I know'', he replied, staring at her in return. ''That's why I'm here.''

The coldness in his voice made V shiver in her warm coat. Her boss seemed like she was trying to decide what to do with her new prisoner, until she hit him with the butt of her gun, making him fall on the ground with a thud, unconscious.

''Take him to the car and make sure he's unarmed'', Mrs. Herley ordered her men. ''V, check him for any devices, we'll deal with him later.''

She nodded and headed towards the unconscious body of the Doctor. It took great effort to just roll him on his back and not shout his name to wake him up. It even felt wrong to pat him down to find anything that could be useful. Feeling his inner coat, she took out a brown leather wallet and peered inside, only to find a piece of blank paper. She frowned, but subtly slipped the wallet in her inner pocket. Then she let her hands stray in his suit, where she knew he kept his sonic screwdriver, and pulled it out as well, placing it with the wallet.

''Well?'', Mrs. Herley called from behind her.

V stood up and looked at her. ''He's clean.''

Her boss snapped her fingers and two of her henchmen moved forward and dragged his body to the trunk, where they pulled a bag over his head before depositing him inside. Then she motioned for V to enter the car. The girl nodded her thanks and slipped in the seat at the far back, close to the trunk, an uneasy feeling forming in her stomach.


	8. At The Court of The Werewolves

**A/N: Well, not much development here, and I have to say, the Doctor and V will remain somewhat idle in the next chapter, too, but chapter 10 is where everything begins… And I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger at the end! I feel terrible for doing that!**

**Other news, there are just a few chapters left in this story :'(. But I'm already working on the sequel, or more like almost-sequel, I'll tell you more about it on the last chapter.**

**A tribute set for the species has been posted on my Polyvore account, as promised!**

**Read on, fans, and reviews are gratefully accepted!**

If V wasn't worried about her mission before, she sure as hell was now. What on Earth was that man thinking? Didn't he realize that he would risk her head if he showed up? That, if they found out that they knew each other, they would be both dead? And she couldn't even contact UNIT directly while three Torchwood agents occupied the seats opposite from her. Although, as soon as she was in the car, Colonel Mace had contacted her to tell her that rescuing the Doctor had also become part of the mission. But, right then, she wasn't even sure if she would get out herself…

The confidence she had built up that morning for the mission had shattered the moment the Doctor introduced himself to Mrs. Herley. V was fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat, looking out of the window. Or was trying to, anyway, as the black glass didn't allow a detailed view of the outside. She could make out buildings and shapes of people walking outside, but nothing to give away where they were going.

Out of nowhere, music started filling the limousine, a song V recognized from Anita's antic vinyl records. It was one she liked very much, a cover from a very important and successful soprano, and she had mustered most of it from years of practice. So, to calm herself, she opened her mouth and started singing.

_O mio babbino caro,_

_mi piace, è bello, bello._

_Vo'andare in Porta Rossa_

_a comperar l'anello!_

_Sì, sì, ci voglio andare!_

_e se l'amassi indarno,_

_andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,_

_ma per buttarmi in Arno! _

_Mi struggo e mi tormento!_

_O Dio, vorrei morir!_

The agents stared at her, open mouthed, as she sang along with Maria Callas, not with the same skill, but close to it, nonetheless. One of them even seemed to be relaxing at the sound of her voice. The fiber glass separating the spaces rolled down and Mrs. Herley's smiling face appeared, looking straight at her. ''You have quite a voice, V.''

''You have quite a taste for music, Mrs. Herley'', V said back. ''Truly, I didn't expect you to have a thing for opera, let alone Maria Callas.''

''The same goes to you. It isn't common for a teenager to listen to this genre of music.''

''You've said it before; I'm a special girl'', V replied, just as two loud thuds echoed from the back of the car. She spun around to look. ''I think the Doctor's come around.''

Mrs. Herley groaned and let the glass roll up again. ''Leave him there, we'll be at the headquarters in two minutes'', she heard her boss say before she was lost from view.

''_Trap One to Nebula, do not leave the Doctor out of your sight; I repeat, DO NOT leave the Doctor out of your sight!_'', Colonel Mace ordered in her ear.

V sighed and slumped back in her seat. This would be a long night…

Though not for the reason she thought.

…

She had started to doze off in the back seat when the limo slowed down at last. She jumped up, subtly looking behind her to check that the red Maserati had not stopped with them but continued on. At least UNIT knew how to stalk cars. V turned her head around to see where they were, only to freeze in her seat. Not even when one of the agents opened the door for her did she get out.

''You've got to be kidding'', she managed to breath out when she slid out of the car.

There, standing tall and proud, towering above her in all its glory, was Westminster Abbey.

V had to blink a couple of times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. ''Is this _actually_ where we were meant to end up, or is it a gateway or something?'', she asked her boss once she joined her.

She just smiled down at her and turned her attention to her henchmen. ''Let the Doctor out and tie him up for good measure'', she ordered and two men nodded, proceeding to open the trunk.

_Now or never_, V thought and stepped up to her boss. ''Ma'am, actually, it might be a good idea to bring him with us to see the captives'', she suggested. How else could she keep an eye on him?

''And why is that?'', Mrs. Herley asked her, raising an eyebrow.

V swallowed. ''The rumors I've heard speak of a dark man who knows anything and everything on alien life. He would surely elaborate more once I've finished observing them. Even Miss Hartman recognized that, and look what happened when she didn't listen.''

Mrs. Herley studied the young girl in front of her, barely passing for a young adult in her dark attire, dark red lipstick and mascara. ''Every time I look at you, V, I see a girl who has barely learned to speak for herself, but every time you open your mouth you prove me wrong. Every time you speak a woman emerges. Not a lot of people can do that'', she remarked. ''He will remain cuffed and under my supervision.''

V nodded a silent 'thank you' to her, just as the Doctor groaned, followed by crutching noises like someone stretching, which was exactly what he was doing. ''Truth is, I've never been shoved in a trunk before, and let me tell: it. Is not. Pleasant!'', he turned to one of the men who got him out before turning his gaze to Mrs. Herley and smiling. ''The lovely Mrs. Herley, how's your evening?''

''After meeting you, all the better!'', she replied with a fake smile. The men put a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and he winced. ''Imagine what we can learn from you while you keep us company tonight.''

He gave her a look. ''Your boss told me something like that before she died. You should be careful with your sentences'', he told her.

''Well, I wasn't the one who said it! My assistant did'', she pointed to V, who closed her eyes briefly and turned to look at him, smiling like her boss. ''My prized associate, V.''

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. ''Your nameless associate?''

''Every dark legend started anonymous'', Mrs. Herley remarked. ''Like you, Doctor. You have become a _ghost story_ since the battle of Canary Wharf, and no one knows your real name.''

''It's better that way'', he waved her off, his full attention on V. In his eyes, she could see something she had never seen before; regret. Regret directed at her. She stared at him in confusion for a moment, trying to understand why he was looking at her like that, but nothing came to mind, and it wasn't like she could ask him. So she just shook her head and turned on her heel to follow her boss, who had just walked off towards the entrance.

The odd party entered the enormous building. At that hour of the night, no one was there and no apparent source of light could be found but the light of the full moon outside shining through the windows. They walked to the wooden podiums built for the choir, where a woman was sitting, absently running her fingers through her golden locks like there weren't nine people looking like they had come out of a noir movie and a madman with hair sticking up like the feathers of a bird in a blue suit with Converse shoes.

''My ship's bigger'', the Doctor was whispering in the back between two of the agents, studying the abbey. ''I have attended every coronation and wedding here. I was on my way to Will and Kate's one, actually, special invitation from the Queen, plus one! What do you say, V?'', he suddenly turned his attention to the girl, who was marching a few feet away next to Mrs. Herley.

She turned her head around sharply to look at him, but her boss beat her before she could reply. ''Out for a new companion, Doctor? What happened to the last one?''

The Doctor remained silent, which made V raise her eyebrow.

The blonde woman nodded to Mrs. Herley and stood up. ''For the glory of the British Empire?''

''For Queen and Country'', she replied. The blonde nodded again, pulling a hidden lever on the podiums. The stone wall behind her slid open, revealing a dark space with a ladder leading down to lower levels. Mrs. Herley walked down first, followed by the rest of the team, now the Doctor ushered behind her and V.

V couldn't see anything in front of her nose until her boss stepped to the wall and pulled another lever, bathing the corridor in front of them in light. Unlike the abbey, this corridor resembled a military bunker, pipes running the length of the left wall and electric lamps hanging from the ceiling. On a small desk a man was hunched over tons of papers, aided by the light of a computer propped next to him. When he saw them approaching, he raised his head. ''Ah, Heather, at last. Thought I'd never see you again'', he greeted.

''Aston, busy as usual, I see'', she greeted him in return. ''Have your men been doing a good job?''

''Absolutely, ma'am. They tried to put up a fight, at first, saying the aliens were too creepy, but now everything works like a well-oiled machine.'' He looked over her shoulder to the Doctor. ''Is that the specialist?''

Mrs. Herley shook her head. ''No, that's the specialist's assistant for the night'', she replied and brought V forward, ignoring the Doctor's little frown. ''_This _is the specialist'', she said proudly, patting her on the shoulder. ''V, this is Aston Brooks, Aston, meet V.''

Brooks' eyes were wide as he shook V's hands. ''Pleasure to meet you, uh, ma'am.'' She raised her eyebrows at the formality and he laughed. ''Do excuse my reaction; I have to say I expected someone-''

''Older? More manly?'', V offered, but smiled. ''Don't worry, Mr. Brooks, I get that quite a lot, it's hardly the first time''. She then moved aside to pull the Doctor forward. ''This is my assistant, the Doctor.'' He smiled and nodded, despite being cuffed.

V could have sworn that Brook's eyeballs were about to shoot out of his eyes. ''The _Doctor _Doctor?'', he asked in disbelief. ''I know all about him, alright. You must know, miss V, that you come second in reputation only to the Doctor. You must be proud of yourself! That's quite an achievement!''

V cast a sideways glance to the Doctor. ''Really?''

''That's enough with the networking'', Mrs. Herley interrupted them. ''We do have work to do. Doctor, tonight you are at the disposal of V, and you will assist her until she's done identifying the creatures. Then, you'll be in my care'', she said, although it sounded more of a threat than an actual statement.

Brooks rushed to get a set of keys from a drawer. ''Right, if you could follow me'', he said and dashed down the corridor, the big party following. ''The cell is five levels down; the dungeons. Thought it would be safer if they were at the bottom of the facility.''

''Why lock them up so far down, are they that dangerous?'', V asked him.

''Oh, excellent question'', the Doctor remarked and, too, turned his attention on Brooks.

''They were found in a Welsh village. It was burnt down, not a single survivor but those two. They say they stayed in the inferno for two days 'till the firefighters managed to put out the fire. They have no means of attacking; actually, their bodies are really weak, but their eyes… Black as night.''

''God, they sound fun'', V whispered. ''And you believe that they were responsible for the fire?''

Brooks shook his head. ''I don't know about the fire, but for the people… I'm almost certain.''

The girl couldn't help but shudder.

As they were too many to fit in the lift, they had to take the stairs and walk five flights down to the depths of the earth. V had never felt claustrophobic, but when thinking what was waiting was her down in the dungeons, her mind just screamed for her to ''abandon the ship'' as fast as she could.

_Calm down, Alexandra_, she thought to herself. _Just a few more minutes and then it's all over._

And if that wasn't helpful, the Doctor's body heat reaching her from where he walked behind her surely was.

The lights in the dungeon were much dimmer than the ones on the first floor. That didn't stop Brooks from leading them further down the corridor to the very end of it, where an enormous man was standing in front of a dark cell. Once he saw them, he stood in attention. ''Mrs. Herley, ma'am'', he saluted, which looked a bit odd to V, who had never seen anyone salute her boss.

''Good evening'', she greeted him dismissively. ''We have quite a few things to do, so if we could just get on with it…''

''This is it, then?'', V asked, signaling the UNIT operatives listening in to pay attention. ''That's the cell?''

Brooks nodded. ''That's the one. Now, careful; they seem to have quite an effect on people watching them'', he warned the party before flipping a switch on the wall and filling the space with light.

The two siblings were sitting on the bench at the far end of the cell, eyes shut. Their hands were folded on their laps, almost as if they were waiting for something. The girl had even leaned her head on her brother's shoulder, resting. V took two steps forward to look closer and the blonde girl raised her head.

''Careful, not to close'', the Doctor called to her.

She turned around. ''I'm fine, Doctor.''

At the mention of his name the eyes of the pair opened to reveal black glassy orbs, making everyone jump back, or almost everyone. V just tilted her head to the side while the Doctor's eyes narrowed.

''Dear God'', Mrs. Herley breathed at the sight.

''Fascinating'', V whispered. ''That's not what you look like. Those are your hosts.''

The two siblings tilted their heads to the side like she had done. ''Finally, the vessel has arrived'', the girl said, and V got the impression she was speaking to her brother.

''At last, my sister, at last'', he agreed.

''You're… siblings?'', Mrs. Herley asked them.

V rolled her eyes before she could stop herself. ''Of course they are, aren't you? Tell her, Luna'', she addressed the girl, who stiffened. ''Or maybe you, Romulus?'', she turned to the boy next to her.

''They have _names_?'', Brooks asked in disbelief.

''Not all of us are nameless, Mr. Brooks'', V remarked.

''What vessel?'', the Doctor turned his attention to Luna, who turned her soulless eyes on him. ''You mentioned a vessel.''

''No need for you to know now, Eternal Traveler'', Luna seemed to scold him, ''we have the whole night to interact. Soon, you will learn.'' Then she turned to her brother. ''Her powers have grown, indeed.''

V's eyes narrowed. ''Whose powers?''

Both aliens smiled but did not reply. V crossed her arms over her chest and started pacing in front of the cell. ''Okay, then. Let's see. Judging by your jet black eyes and pattern of speech and that crazy thing I have in my head, I say that you are… lupine wavelength haemovariforms!'', she pointed triumphantly at them. ''I have to say, I'm impressed.''

''As we are, princess'', Romulus said. ''The legends speak of you with the best of words, but nothing could prepare us for this.''

V's smile vanished from her face. ''_Princess?_''

''Doctor, what are those things?'', Mrs. Herley walked to the Doctor as V squatted in front of the cell.

''I have met them before, back when you were created. One of them had threatened to bite Queen Victoria and begin the Empire of the Wolf. They are shape changers; every full moon they turn into wolfs. You should be proud, Heather. They are the reason your institute exists'', he told her quietly, studying V from the corner of his eye.

''The Traveler knows us'', Romulus suddenly called. ''He speaks of one of our brothers!''

''Others of us live?'', Luna asked, voice filled with hope.

V raised an eyebrow. ''You're the last ones left?''

''Out family sent us away from a burning planet while our people died to save us, to help us save our Empire'', Romulus explained, hand grabbing his sister's.

''Oh, you are Royals, then! Lovely'', the Doctor remarked but then turned serious again. ''The incident I'm talking about happened in 1879, your brother is dead.'' The aliens dropped their hands and stared at him. ''But, why did you choose Earth? There are so many other planets you could have crashed in, why Earth?''

''Because this is where the legend said the vessel would reside'', Luna replied.

''Again with the vessel! Who is your vessel this time, hmm?'', he raised his eyebrows in question. ''First time it was Queen Victoria, who is it now?''

Romulus snarled at him. ''An Earth queen is of no use to us. We have come looking for the true Royal, the one who will help us spread across the stars!''

The Doctor turned his attention to V. ''V, get back from there'', he said quietly but she made no move. ''V?''

''You said that the legends speak of me, what legends?'', she asked the siblings in the cell, gripping the bars.

''The legends don't speak of you'', Luna corrected her. ''They speak of the nameless Princess who will walk the stars, holding time in her hands, battling for the good of the Universe along with the Eternal Traveler. You are not like her, nor you will become her so easily.''

''So what you're saying is that she's not _done_ yet?'', the Doctor addressed them. ''What else does she need?''

''Her past'', they both replied in unison, holding each other's hands again. ''Her true nature is in the past, the past she doesn't know.'' Suddenly they both lunged at the bars and V fell back onto the ground to avoid touching them. ''And once she knows, one bite is all it takes.''

''I don't understand'', V stood up.

''You will, soon enough. They will call you the Warrior, the Valiant, once you are full'', they said together. ''The Traveler already calls you Alexandra.''

V gasped and turned her attention on the Doctor, who could only look at her with a solemn look on his face. As for Mrs. Herley, she was looking between the two of them back and forth. ''You know each other!''

''No, Mrs. Herley, we don't'', she rushed to say, a bit too quickly to seem believable.

Her boss raised an eyebrow and took her mobile phone out of her pocket to call somebody. ''Ivan, this is Heather. Can you please describe V's new associate to me?'', she asked in the phone and then put it on speaker.

''_In his 30s, blue suit, some crazy hair, looked like a madman, why?_'', Ivan's voice replied over the speaker.

She simply hung up. ''Take him to the cells on level three and keep him locked in there'', she ordered her men and grabbed V by the elbow, who cried out in pain. ''As for you, you are coming with me for a little chat'', she hissed in her ear and dragged her to the staircase. ''Keep that cell secure 'till I come back'', she called over her shoulder.

''Heather listen to me, V had no involvement in this, it was all me! Do not harm her in any way!'', the Doctor shouted at her as two men grabbed him and pulled him away. She just smiled at him.

''What I do with my staff is my business and my business only. Of you pop'', she told him and walked away, dragging V behind her.

The Doctor didn't give up so easily, though. ''If you can't listen to that, listen to this: do not let the creatures out in the moonlight or anywhere near V! They will slaughter you all before you can even escape! Listen to me!''

The woman, however, didn't even acknowledge him.

V only had the chance to catch a glimpse of the Doctor as he was dragged away to the opposite direction, reaching out towards her and struggling against the men holding him back.

…

Mrs. Herley shoved V roughly against the wall of her office, hand clutching her throat tightly. Two of her henchmen watched calmly as the girl tried in vain to remove the hand from her neck, but her arms were weak from the lack of oxygen and the death grip her boss had on her.

''For seven years I've known you, V. Seven long years of our partnership, and you go on to become pals with the _Doctor_'', she spat out in her face angrily. ''And for what cause, what cause, V? Or should I say _Alexandra_?!''. She released her neck and V slid down on the floor, coughing hard.

''I swear'', she managed to get out of her sore throat, ''I didn't know who he was when I met him, I cannot even identify him! My perception doesn't work on him.''

''And I'm supposed to believe that?!'', Mrs. Herley shouted at her. ''It's like I'm seeing a whole new girl in front of me! No wonder he came right where we were meeting, you told him, you told him all about us!''

''No, I didn't, why can't you believe me? I had no idea he would be coming tonight!''

She exhaled loudly, pacing up and down her office in front of V. ''The aliens reacted to his name and they seem to have a rather keen interest on you. Am I supposed to believe that that is a coincidence, too?''

V's eyes had started to water. ''Why can't you believe me? I had no involvement in this!''

''But you don't deny that you know the Doctor?''

V took a deep breath to gather her strength. ''No, I don't.''

''You don't deny that the Doctor knows you?''

''No, I don't.''

''And you don't deny that your direct relationship was what brought him here?''

V paused. ''No'', she stared right into her boss's eyes, ''I don't.''

Mrs. Herley suddenly crossed the length of the floor to her desk and took her gun from it, turning it directly towards V. The girl, at the sight of it, cowered away towards the wall, eyes wide and frantic. ''I should have known a little girl like you would never be reliable.'' She released the safety. ''But now I can make up for that.''

V lay frozen on the spot, staring directly at the barrel of the gun as her boss smiled coldly at her, hand pressing on the trigger…


	9. The Princess of Arcadia

**A/N: Bit short, but I didn't want you to wait any longer after a cliffhanger like that! We get to see the full meaning of V being a Time Lady here and, next chapter, UNIT finally busts in! You will find some sneak peeks from future stories enclosed in this chapter, as well! **

**All yours…**

The Doctor lay on the bottom cot of his cell, eyes trained on V's fob watch he had taken from the restaurant. When he had first laid his eyes on it, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. And even that fact hadn't helped him solve the riddle circling Alexandra. Even if she was a Time Lady, his people never developed abilities like that. Some would muster telekinesis or powers like that. All Time Lords were taught at the Academy how to access minds. But that kind of ability was never heard of on Gallifrey. And he couldn't know how her essence being trapped in a fob watch could affect the development of her brain and her natural Time Lord abilities.

The biggest question was if the Doctor knew her.

Maybe not her personally, but her family. Was he a friend of her parents? Did he know them? Would he have prevented them from using the Chameleon Arch to re-write her whole biology when she was just an infant and sending her away from the war to protect her?

That night he only wanted to talk to her, tell her what he had found. And now, because he chose to follow her here out of curiosity to see what kind of aliens Torchwood had captured, he had put her in danger. Danger he wasn't sure he would be able to save her from. But he would make sure to try everything to do so.

But then there was the fact that the werewolves knew her. That was the fact the Doctor was most afraid to think. From their description, his mind could go to only one legend, one that originated from his home planet, and his mind didn't dare think that she was the one the legend spoke of…

Through the dark, a heart-wrenching scream sounded, one the Doctor was sure who it belonged to. Before he could even dash to the bars, however, a loud gunshot followed and the screaming stopped at once.

''ALEXANDRA!'', he screamed in the darkness, his voice echoing down the corridor. No reply came from any end. His grip tightened around the watch and he slid down on the floor, his eyes watering. As V's Time Lord essence was trapped inside the watch, he wasn't able to see if she was still alive. In his mind, it felt as if he was still the last one left. And right now, that could still be the case.

Suddenly a door opened in the distance and two set of footsteps approached the cell. The Doctor pressed his face against the bars more to see who was coming, but when he finally did, his blood ran cold.

Two of the agents, dressed in all black, were making their way towards his cell, dragging someone's body between them. One look at the long black hair and Mary Jane heels was enough for him to recognize V's limp body.

''No…'', he mumbled at the sight. Even by Torchwood's standards, that was cruel. He staggered to his cot and fell down heavily on it in a daze as the men opened the cell and tossed V on the cold floor face down, throwing in her black fedora as well before locking the cell and disappearing the way they had come.

For a solid minute the Doctor could do nothing more than stare at V lying on the floor, looking like she was actually sleeping. Slowly, he went closer to look at her, but found himself kneeling next to her and sobbing uncontrollably, his head bent forward. Finally, he had found something worth living for again, after the war, after Rose, and then they took it away. They gave him hope and took it away…

He rolled V over and took in her pale face and dark red lips, her closed eyes that wouldn't open again. He wouldn't see that brilliant blue again, so close to the color of his own TARDIS, in her eyes. He gathered her in his arms and buried her face in his chest, bending his face over hers and letting his bitter tears fall on her face. For once, the Doctor had come so close to having another Time Lord, another one of his species again, but that was until…

…until he heard her breathing.

At first he thought that he was hearing things, but then he leaned in closer to her face to listen. Indeed, V was breathing. He rushed to check her body, to make sure that she was alright. He unbuttoned her black coat and checked her white dress for any stains, but there was none.

He let out a triumphant laugh and hugged her close to him. ''You're alive, you're alive, you're alive…'', he kept mumbling over and over, all the while giggling like a kid on Christmas morning. He even landed a kiss on her forehead. He was no longer alone! He wasn't the last Time Lord left!

…

The first thing V noticed when she came around was the extra layer of clothing she had on top of her. Her eyes slowly opened and looked around the small space. Across from her was a heavy barred iron door. She was lying on a not-so-soft bed, covered by not only her coat, but a ridiculously long brown coat, as well. But she hadn't noticed someone else sitting on the cot at her feet until she stretched a bit and accidentally kicked the Doctor.

He turned to look at her and smiled. ''Are you alright?''

Slowly, what had happened came back to her mind. She was on the floor, staring up at Mrs. Herley's gun as she got ready to fire, and she couldn't keep down the scream that was desperately clawing at her throat. At the last second the woman aimed at the wall above her head and fired, missing her by mere inches. That must have been the moment when V's vision darkened and she lost consciousness.

V sat up straight on the bed and started patting herself down as she remembered what happened. ''You're fine, I checked'', the Doctor assured her from his spot. ''You just passed out from the shock, that's all.''

She studied the Time Lord in front of her, taking in his red eyes first. ''Were you crying?'', she asked incredulously.

He ran a hand in his hair. ''What, me? Nah, no, no, no, I was just a bit worried.''

She raised an eyebrow. ''You were worried about me?''

''Yeah, I was'', he confessed. ''You were dragged in and left on the floor, how couldn't I be? You sound surprised.''

She moved the coats and moved to sit next to him, back against the wall. ''It's not that, it's just that you are the first person to be worried about me in a very long time.'' They sat like that in silence for a few moments before, ''How much did you cry?''

''Well, to be honest, it was a lot…'', he said, but he was interrupted by V's arms wrapping tightly around his neck in a hug. His own went around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She sobbed once in his shoulder while he rubbed circles on her back.

''I was scared, I was so scared'', she whispered in his ear, voice breaking at the end.

''Now, now, everything's fine, you're safe'', he whispered back.

V just laughed. ''I am barely safe'', she countered, but then stiffened. ''Hold on, I shouldn't be hugging you!'' She broke away from him and rubbed the tears away from her eyes. ''I should be mad at you! What were you thinking?''

For once, the Doctor was at a loss of words, somewhat shocked by V's change in behavior. ''I-uh-''

''I almost got killed! What were you doing there?''

He reached in his pocket and took out the fob watch, tossing it to her. ''I wanted to give you back this.''

V stared down at it, confused. She studied it for a few moments and blinked. ''That's not my watch'', she said after a while. ''I can feel it, it's not my watch.''

The Doctor frowned and then searched in his pockets again. ''Oh, yes, sorry, that's mine'', he pulled another watch out, this one with a long thick chain hanging from it, ''this one's yours.''

Her eyes widened when she saw the two identical watches. She held one in each hand and weighed them, to make sure that the Doctor wasn't playing tricks on her. But the weighed the same and looked exactly the same. She turned her gaze on the Doctor. ''Where did you find this?''

''It's mine'', he explained simply. ''It's not actually a fob watch. It's part of a Gallifreyan device called the Chameleon Arch. Time Lords use that device to re-write their biology, change their species, even, when they have to go in hiding and their life is in danger, and their essence is stored in there.''

V looked again at his watch and dropped it on the bed. ''You're lying.''

''Why would I lie about this?'' V leaped up from the bed and went to stand next to the bars, her necklace held tightly in her fist. ''Alexandra, that watch couldn't have come from any other place in the universe but Gallifrey.''

''So you're saying that I'm a… _Time Lady_?'', she asked, her voice breaking at the end.

''Well, either that or a Time Lord trapped his essence in a fob watch and dropped it on a baby that had been abandoned at the side of the road'', he said. ''But it's you. Can you hear it?''

''Hear what?''

He stepped close to her and placed his fingers on her temples, opening up her mind. A whispered entered, so small that if she hadn't concentrated, she would have missed it.

''_You have to open me, we have to find mother, she is in danger… We are the only one who can help them… The legend that surrounds us… Open me, princess, let us become one again… Mother needs our help… We need to find her… Now we have the Doctor, we can look, we can help, we can save them…''_

V gasped and stepped back. ''What was that?'', she asked breathlessly.

''That was you, in the watch, calling to yourself to let your essence free'', the Doctor replied.

''But I call myself 'princess' in the watch, like the aliens did. I said something about a legend!''

He pulled her to the bed and made her sit facing him. ''When the werewolves said that the legends speak of you something came to mind, and the fact that they called me Eternal Traveler…''

Seeing him in distress, she laid a hand on his arm. ''Doctor, please, I need to know. It's my future we're talking about here, or rather my past. I have every right to know.''

He looked up at her deep blue eyes, pleading him to tell her what was going on. How could he say no to a child? ''Back home there was this prophecy, a legend, that spoke of a girl born when Arcadia would fall, a princess to the Time Lords. It was said that she would have extraordinary powers, powers the universe had never seen. An account said that this girl, this _woman_, would battle across the stars for the good of the universe, that she would become a warrior and hero to many. It also spoke that she would accompany… another Time Lord, the Eternal Traveler, a dark figure, and balance him as they fought their way in the stars. But she would have to do all that at a high cost.''

''And what was that?'' Even by watching the Doctor's eyes she could tell that she wouldn't like the answer.

''She would lose something precious to her, both would lose something very precious.'' They remained watching each other for a few moments, letting that revelation settle in them. ''But Arcadia fell, the Time Lords died and the princess never came.''

V frowned. ''What do you mean died?''

He took a deep breath. That would be really hard news to deliver. ''The Time War was never won by anyone. Both Time Lords and Daleks had to die to end the war. There's no one else left. We're the last ones.''

A hand flew to her mouth and she let out a small sob, backing away to the wall. ''That's why you want me to become a Time Lady, so that you won't be alone!''

''No, of course not, Alexandra! I promised to help you find the truth about yourself and that's me, doing just that! Is it too hard to believe?''

She shook her head lightly. ''I-I don't know, I've only just met you! You could be lying!''

Instead of replying, the Doctor closed his hand over the watch. Instantly, a series of images flashed in V's mind: she saw herself, running around the console in a white cloak that reached her knees, punching buttons and pushing levers, the Doctor watching her with a smile from the jump seat. Then she saw herself, much older, standing at the door of the TARDIS, looking at a shocked Doctor before running with tears on her face to hug him. Next, she was in front of a glass window in the sky watching as silver spheres flew down and attacked the innocent, a man in a suit whose face she couldn't see with his hand around the shoulders of a blonde woman and an aged Doctor standing next to her. Then, she was trapped in a force field, the Doctor in one next to her, looking up at a screen where a rather handsome man was surrounded by three other people and holding a necklace in his hands, threatening to break it.

She dropped the watch on the bed and stood up to get as far away from it as possible. ''Was that the future, _my_ future?''

The Doctor had the same shocked expression on his face as she did. ''Yes. And it seems to be tied closely to mine.''

V ran her hands through her hair. ''So this will happen if I open that watch'', she concluded and the Doctor nodded. ''But we have a problem.''

Her frowned. ''What?''

''The werewolves want me full, that's what they said. They said that when I find my past they would bite me. That means that if I open the watch they will come after me.''

The Time Lord nodded at that. ''Then you won't open the watch until we send them off planet. But right now, we have one single problem.'' He stood up quickly and headed to the bars. ''We are locked in here while your UNIT friends prepare to strike the building! Now if I had my sonic screwdriver, we would be out in no time, but your Torchwood friends took that one away!'' He knelt down, putting on his brainy specs and examined it. But before he had the time to do that, the familiar sound of the sonic reached his ears and the door swung open. Stunned, he turned around to see V pointing it to the door.

''Glad I was the one who searched you?'', she asked with a smile and tossed him the sonic and his psychic paper. Slowly, a mad grin spread across his face and he stood up, offering his hand to her, which she gladly took.

''You are brilliant!'', he told her fondly, making her smile even more. ''Right then. Allons-y!''


End file.
